Miracles Do Happen
by Dale
Summary: Carlos and Rebecca's big day at last. Chris has a surprise. Where the Hell is Barry? ClaireLeon with a whole lot more JillChris and RebeccaCarlos.CHAPTER 23UP FINALLY COMPLETED.
1. Life is Good

Miracles Do Happen  
Author's Note: Hey everyone. I'm back! Yes it is I, Dale. This is my sequel to Unexpected Happenings. If you haven't read that yet, I suggest you read that one first. Anyway, this is my second fic. I also know that sequels usually aren't as good as the original but I'm going to try and make this one worth reading also. It will again be mostly Claire/Leon but this time their will be more Chris/Jill and especially more Rebecca/Carlos. If you read the epilouge to the last story you'll know why. Okay, this is it. The sequel. Miracles Do Happen.  
Chapter One- Life is Good  
" Leon, we have to be at Chris and Jill's in twenty minutes. And we still have to go pick up Becca and Carlos. So hurry up!" Claire Redfield shouted down the hallway towards her and Leon's room. Leon poked his head out the down. He was still wet from his shower and his only item of "clothing" was a green towel. Claire smirked at him.  
  
" Coming Claire. So how many days left does Rebecca have to go?" Leon asked as he retreated back inside the room to put on some clothes. The door was cracked so he could talk to Claire.  
  
" About 4 days, I think. The doctor said sometime around Thanksgiving. That reminds me, isn't Sherry coming to spend Thanksgiving with us." Claire wondered. She heard the sound of zipping and saw Leon step out of the room, shirt in hand. Everything else was on. She secretly wished they weren't.  
  
" I think so. Didn't she call yesterday?" Leon asked as he put on his t- shirt. Claire got up to give him a kiss. Leon returned the favor. Claire pushed herself into him, making him lose his balance and fall into the sofa. Leon chuckled a bit while still holding on to her. Claire pulled away and looked at him slyly.  
  
" Yeah, she did. You have no idea how bad I want you." Claire told him in husky seductive voice. Leon smiled as he put both his hands around her waist. She was straddling him. Leon gave her a teasing smile.  
  
" After we come back, Claire you can do whatever you want with me. But right now, we do have to get going." With that, Leon gave her one more kiss to satisfy her til later. He picked her up and went to grab his keys.  
  
" Let's go." He said as he stepped out the door. Claire took one last look at the picture of her and Leon on the table. They had taken it a few days after Leon came back.  
  
' God, that feels like ages ago' She thought. With one last smile, she followed Leon.  
Knock Knock Knock  
" Carlos, could you get that please? I can't get up for the life of me." Rebecca Chambers, soon to be Oliviera said as she laid back in Carlos' lazy boy. She had been carrying Carlos' child for 8 and a half months now and her due date was nearing. She remembered when she and Carlos had found out she was pregnant.  
  
Claire and the others had gone to pick up Leon from the airport. She had wanted to come but she had an appointment with the doctor because of her morning sickness. Jill assumed she was expecting. Carlos fainted at that moment. Becca herself couldn't believe it. Anyway, she went and got the tests taken and she found out she was expecting. That's when she had started crying. Carlos was outside eating a foot long sub from Subway when Becca had come out and told him. Carlos eyes bulged open and he tried to tell her something but started to choke on his sub. Afterwards, Carlos was rushed to the ER after he passed out from the lack of air to his brain. Sooner or later, when he became conscious again Rebecca gave him the news and he was ecstatic. He had always wanted to be a father and the fact that Rebecca was the mother made it even better. Everytime Rebecca would get sad or lonely she would think about that moment. She knew that she would tell that story to her daughter.  
  
Rebecca was awakened from her daydream when Leon and Claire walked in after Carlos. Leon acknowledged Rebecca with a hello and asked Carlos to speak with him outside. Claire went to sit with Rebecca.  
  
" You're looking pretty round there, Becky." Claire said simply. She put her hand on Rebecca bulging stomach. Rebecca sighed.  
  
" I want this thing out of me now. Claire, I get cravings for the nastiest stuff. For some ungodly reason, I crave peanut butter and jelly with hot sauce." Claire laughed.  
  
" PB&J with hot sauce. That's a new one." Claire went to help Rebecca up, seeing that she was straining by herself. Rebecca laughed.  
  
" I'm telling you Claire, getting engaged is fine, hell, even the sex is fine, but being pregnant is a one time thing for me. Speaking of engagements, is Leon gonna pop the question anytime soon. I mean, 5 years. Plus you two are more in love with each other than anyone else I know. Excluding Jill and your brother." Claire smiled a bit.  
  
" I think he's thinking about it. He's been talking to Chris and Carlos a lot lately. I'll be waiting." She admitted. Rebecca smiled at her long time friend. She knew that Claire and Leon belonged together. Now if Leon would stop stalling.  
  
" Carlos, Leon we're going to get the car. Meet us outside all right?" Rebecca yelled.  
  
" Yeah!" The men yelled back. Claire and Rebecca walked out the door joking with each other.  
Leon and Carlos  
" I haven't the slightest idea how to tell her, Carlos. I mean, you and Chris did it with no problem. I don't think she would say no, but what if she's not ready." Leon sat in the lounging chair bombarding Carlos with millions of nervous questions. Carlos scoffed.  
  
"Leon, trust me you'll know what to do when the time comes. You just get that ring okay." Leon stood up out the chair and nodded. The two prepared to leave.  
  
" I just wish I could see it like that." Leon said as he and Carlos stepped out the door." Carlos got a little angry and shouted out.  
  
" You love her damn it and she loves you. Now stop stalling and marry her!" Leon chuckled at him causing Carlos to raise an eyebrow confused.  
  
" What?" Carlos asked.  
  
" Nothing. Nothing at all." With that, the two men, walked over to waiting car with their women inside.  
Chris and Jill  
" Chris, get off of your ass and help me set up this table."  
  
" But the game is almost over. In 1 minute." Chris whined to his wife from the sofa in the living room. Jill gave him a hard stare. Chris gave one last look to the t.v before getting up to help Jill.  
  
The two of them had been married for 3 months and still loved each other to death but they were experiencing minor confrontations like in all marriages. Jill expected this though so she wasn't too angry. She really just liked to see Chris surrender like a little boy obeying his mother. It humored her.  
  
Chris walked into the kitchen and started taking food out to the table. Jill put the finishing touches on her steak.  
  
" You love me, Chris?" Jill asked out of the blue. It was her way of letting him now she had something in store for him.  
  
Chris knew what was coming. Jill wanted him to do something. So he cracked his knuckles and stretched a bit.  
  
" Yes, Jill. What do you want me to do?" Jill gave him a sweet look.  
  
" Throw away all of your alcoholic beverages." She said plainly, leaving no room for argument. Chris walked over to her and pleaded.  
  
" Why, Jill why? Just because Becca's pregnant, that means I can't drink either. She's practically finished." Jill placed the cutting board she was using in the sink.  
  
" No, Carlos can't afford to get drunk the next few weeks and you know that this is first place he's headed to. Besides, Becca's trying to get him to stop."  
  
" What about Leon? He gets drunk easier than all of us. Why won't you stop him." Chris shot back.  
  
" Leon's quit drinking for the past 6 months." Chris looked Jill in the eye and surrender.  
  
" Okay, okay. I'll throw it away. But you owe me big time, Jill." Chris told her as he opened the refrigerator and started to throw the beers and wines into the trashcan.  
  
Jill smiled and bent down to give him a kiss. She figured she had taken advantage of her husband enough for the day. And she did owe him big time.  
  
" Okay, lover. I'll let you have your way with me. After Rebecca's party." Chris felt a grin pinch his face before going into a full fledged smile.  
  
Ding Dong!  
  
" God, I love you Jill. You know that right?' Chris told her as he got up. Jill gave him one more kiss before going to get the door.  
  
" More than you'll ever know." Jill replied as she opened the door to greet her guest.  
Author's note: I finished. How did you all like that? Was it good first chapter for the sequel. I respect all author's that attempt to write a sequel and it comes out good. This stuff is hard. I just hope that you enjoy it just the same. Well, Rebecca's pregnant, Leon has a question plaguing his mind. Carlos is engaged to Rebecca. Sherry's coming. Chris and Jill are married. That's all in the first chapter. Okay, I ask you please review and let me know how you like it so far. And if you have any fics that you've written feel free to tell me. I'm always looking for a good story. Until next time. 


	2. Dinner For Becca

Miracles Do Happen  
Author's Note: It seems like this is off to a good start. I'm glad to see that you all kept on reviewing. And I kept you people interested. All right, let's get straight to it. I don't own RE okay.  
Chapter 2- Dinner for Becca  
" Hey Jill. My idiot brother around?" Claire asked as she stepped through the threshold into the house. She couldn't help but feel a bit homesick, seeing as she used to live there. Jill smiled at her sister in-law's straightforward greeting.  
  
" In the kitchen." Jill told her. Claire started to walk back as Jill called to her.  
  
" Hey, Claire." Claire turned her head.  
  
" I made him stop drinking." Claire's face broke into a huge grin.  
  
" You don't say." With that she continued on into the kitchen.  
  
Carlos was escorting Rebecca up the stairs to the front door as Leon was making his way inside.  
  
Leon met Jill's teasing glance as he stepped inside. " Claire taking control again eh?" Leon smiled. He knew as well as Jill did that Claire was determined and that wasn't one of her characteristics to take lightly.  
  
" You got it. By the way, where is Claire anyway?" Leon asked. Jill pointed over towards the kitchen. Leon nodded.  
  
" Thanks. How are you and Chris doing?" Jill became lost in thought for a second before answering.  
  
" Great. Hasn't been a day yet that I can say I regret marrying him. Although I'd like to strangle him at times. Other than that, we're fine."  
  
Leon gave Jill one last smile before going into the kitchen to see what Chris and Claire were up to. Jill turned back to the door to see Rebecca and Carlos coming up the steps.  
  
" Oh Becca, the baby giving you trouble again?' Jill asked concerned as Rebecca practically limped inside. She almost pull Carlos down with her.  
  
" I just want to get it over with Jill. I gotta thank you guys though. You didn't have to go through all of this for me." Rebecca told her as she took a well-deserved rest in Chris's recliner. Carlos was last to enter.  
  
" Hey Jill. Where's Becca?" He asked. Before Jill could reply, Rebecca called to him from behind the wall.  
  
" In the living room, Carlos."  
  
" Answer your question?" Jill asked him teasingly. Carlos gave her a grin before going in to see his fiance.  
  
Carlos came to see Rebecca sitting comfortably in a recliner. He instantly began to walk over to her. He smiled at her. She smiled back.  
  
" Only 4 more days left." Carlos said suddenly. There was a faint anticipation or nervousness in his eyes. Rebecca reached for his hand.  
  
" We'll be all right." Rebecca turned to see Jill going into the kitchen. " When she comes everything will be okay." Carlos nodded at her before pausing. A humorous but curious glance came across him face.  
  
" We still haven't thought of a name for her yet? Rebecca chuckled.  
  
" We'll wait until she's born okay? Let's watch a movie until Jill calls us for dinner." Carlos smiled and kissed her before going into the abyss of Chris' storage for home entertainment.  
In the Kitchen  
  
" For the last time Claire, I'm not dressing up as a damn turkey!" Chris practically shouted at his lovable little sister. Jill just sat at the table grinning. She found the whole situation amusing. Claire grabbed on to Chris' arm and started to whine.  
  
" Chris, it's the holidays. Come on, do it for Sherry, she'll love it." Claire offered. Leon smirked.  
  
" Sherry would laugh her ass off." Leon said from behind the refrigerator door as he searched for a soda. Chris scoffed while Claire turned her head to give Leon a death warning stare.  
  
Jill decided she'd better stop any conflict before it got started so she attempted to quiet to two siblings down.  
  
" Could you two save it for later? Dinner's ready and everyone's here. And I'll be damned if all of that food I cooked is cold when I eat it. So Leon, go get Becca and Carlos. Chris, you and Claire go and sit down. Got it?  
  
" Yes Jill." Was the humble reply from the three of them.  
  
Jill smiled. " Thank you."  
  
Chris and Claire went to do as Jill said and Leon went to tell Rebecca and Carlos dinner was ready. Jill went upstairs to go get the present she had bought for Rebecca.  
  
" Becca, Carlos. Time to eat now." Leon said as he walked into the living room. He stopped in his tracks and chuckled a bit at the sight he saw. Rebecca was fast asleep on the sofa with Carlos rocking her like a baby peacefully. He seemed to be in a trance of some sort.  
  
" Carlos?" Leon whispered over to him. Carlos' head jerked up. " Huh? Oh what's up man?"  
  
" Time to eat now. I would hurry because Jill has made it very clear that she expects this to be perfect." Leon told him as he peeked back into the kitchen.  
  
Carlos nodded and lightly shook Rebecca to wake her up. She stirred a little before opening her eyes. She looked around to see Leon waving at her.  
  
" Hey Leon." She greeted him sleepily. Leon smiled.  
  
" Jill sent Leon to tell us dinner's ready." Carlos informed her. Rebecca nodded before sitting up.  
  
" Well, we better get our asses in there. Jill spent all day preparing this for us. If we don't she will definitely not be in the best of moods."  
  
Leon and Carlos both nodded before helping Rebecca up and escorting her into the dining room where the others were waiting.  
  
Leon went to take a seat by Claire, who was reminiscing of childhood times with Chris. Jill was seating in her seat waiting for Rebecca and Carlos to come in. Carlos pulled a chair out and help Rebecca sit down before taking his seat next to her.  
  
" Okay, before we get started we want to give you two something so you two won't miss any moments when the baby comes. All of us pitched in to buy this for you Becca." Jill told her before reaching over to hand her a pretty good sized box. Rebecca gave her a curious look before opening it. It was a very expensive but trustworthy video camcorder. Rebecca gasped.  
  
" A camcorder! Now we can record everything. The birth, her first steps, everything." Carlos looked at his fiance wearily.  
  
" Um, I'm not going to be in there with you am I?" Rebecca slapped him on the arm.  
  
" Of course you are. You're supposed to be my support dumbass." Rebecca scolded, making Carlos wince. Chris burst into laughter. Jill did too. Leon and Claire gave each other a look. It was like that first dinner they had on the ship but this time neither of them looked away. This time they both knew what feelings laid behind it. Leon leaned over to whisper to Claire.  
  
" It's times like this that make me laugh." Claire smirked at him.  
  
" Why's that?" She asked with a grin on her face.  
  
" Because even though I know those two love each other to death, I also know they can't go a day without arguing over anything." Claire leaned in closer to him.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Claire turned to Jill. " Come on, let's eat now." Jill threw a glance at Chris. He was practically drooling over the T- bone steak she had cooked.  
  
" Okay. Dig in." That initiated Chris, Claire, Leon, and Carlos to grab the plates and fix their food. Jill and Rebecca looked on to their friends and family wide-eyed. Rebecca chuckled as she reached over to get her plate too.  
  
" They sure don't waste any time do they?" Rebecca said as she looked to Jill. Jill smiled as she slapped Chris' hand away from the apple pie in the center of the table.  
  
" Isn't it obvious?"  
After 30 minutes of eating, talking, and the occasional scold from Jill to Chris, or Rebecca to Carlos, or Claire to Leon, or just Jill to everyone else they had finished. Jill asked Claire if she would help wash dishes and clean up. Claire agreed. She had some things to consult with Jill about. Rebecca had also volunteered to help clean up. The men decided that they would go watch one of the many movies Chris had collected. They left the dining room debating what to watch. As usual, Carlos insisted that it be an 80's action flick.  
  
Back to the Kitchen  
Jill stood over the sink washing dishes. Claire was in the middle drying them. Rebecca stood at the end placing them back where they belonged. Claire took a deep breath before opening her mouth to tell Jill something that had been bothering her for a while now.  
" Jill?" Jill turned around to see her. Claire stood there looking like a little girl that had lost something. Rebecca too stopped putting away dishes to hear what she had to say.  
  
" Do you think it's too early for me to get married?" Claire asked meekly.  
  
Jill looked to her sister in-law and grinned. " Leon planning on asking you?" Rebecca smirked as she put away the last of the dishes. Jill looked back to Claire and awaited her answer.  
  
" Well?" Jill started. She had a feeling that she knew what Claire was going through.  
  
" Yeah, I think he is. I just don't know if we're ready to take that step yet. This is my last year of school and everything and I want to be financially stable before we do that." Rebecca looked to Jill and Jill looked back at her. Becca smiled.  
  
" Claire, you're just having doubts. You already know in advance that Leon plans on proposing to you. You just don't know when. Don't worry about finances. We still have that compensation money from the government saved for a rainy day. You're always entitled to it. So if you want to get married then get married." Claire turned to her friend agape. She couldn't believe that little Becca could hold so much wisdom in that head of hers. Jill too was shocked.  
  
" Well said, Becca. Okay, now that that's taken care of, let's finish these dishes." Claire took Becca's arm and Jill's arm and pulled them to her.  
  
" Thanks for the advice you two." With that she hugged them all together. Jill rolled her eyes as she smiled and Rebecca just grinned.  
  
" It seems like we're sisters doesn't it." Rebecca said from within the hug. Jill replied from within. " Me and Claire legally are sisters. But yeah, it does. I feel like the big sister sometimes." Claire too had her own reply. " Okay enough with the group hug, let's get back to work. Me and Leon gotta leave in a few."  
  
Slowly the women let go and continued with their work. They made small talk about various things as they finished up. Each of them feeling a little bit better knowing that they always had each other to rely on.  
20 minutes later Jill, Claire, and Rebecca stepped out from the kitchen to see their men drawn to the movie on screen. Each of them sat respectively with their men. Claire came to sit in Leon's lap, Jill sat next to Chris on the sofa, and Rebecca came to rest in Carlos' arms as he sat on the floor. Diverting her eyes away from the action scene on t.v Claire wondered outloud:  
  
" Why in the hell are you guys watching Predator?" Jill and Rebecca were too tired to respond in kind. Chris and Carlos were too into the movie to answer Claire back.  
  
" Carlos picked it out. Besides it's one of my favorites." Leon said without moving his eyes from the screen. Claire sighed.  
  
" Well is it almost over?" Claire asked a bit impatiently. Leon turned back to her and gave her a confused look.  
  
" What's wrong Claire? You ready to go?" Claire looked to Carlos and Rebecca cuddling and then to Jill and Chris sitting next to each other holding hands.  
  
" No, I just want to get home before it gets too late. I think Sherry's supposed to call me tonight." Leon sat up.  
  
" Well in that case let's go. I can always finish watching this tomorrow. Carlos, you and Becca ready?"  
  
" Yeah, Becca's gone to sleep." Carlos slowly got up and proceed to pick up his sleeping fiance. He started to make his way to the car. Chris got up to turn the movie off before opened the door for Carlos.  
  
" Okay, take it easy man. I know you'll probrally be over here tomorrow." Chris figured. Carlos grinned back.  
  
" You know me all too well."  
  
Claire and Leon also made their way out. Jill was on the porch with Chris.  
  
" We all need to get together like this more often. Leon get them all home in one piece all right?' Jill told him sternly. Leon looked at her taken back.  
  
" Jill, do you doubt my driving skills? I'm not your husband you know." Claire smiled as Jill pulled on Leon's earlobe. " I know but you drive like him. Be good now." She turned to Claire. " Bye Claire. I hope that me and Becca helped you sort everything." Claire hugged Jill back. Chris came up to hug his sister good bye too.  
  
" Eager to get home aren't you sis?" Chris gave her a suspicious look. Claire gave him one right back. " Eager to see us go aren't you bro?" Claire gave Chris and Jill one last smile before getting into the passenger's seat next to Leon.  
  
Leon started the car up and beeped the horn as Chris and Jill waved goodbye from the porch. In the car Carlos and Becca had fallen asleep in the backseat. Claire looked back at the two before turning back to Leon.  
  
" Those two are knocked out." Leon looked back as he drove.  
  
" Yeah, that's not a bad idea. Sleep." Claire grinned slyly in the dark.  
  
" I thought you said I could have you tonight?" Leon turned to her apologetically and smiled.  
  
" I did didn't I. Well, I guess sleep is out of the question for me tonight." He chuckled as he turned his attention back to the road. As Leon came to a stop at the stop light, Claire intertwined her hand in his. Leon didn't do anything but hold on tighter.  
Author's Note: I'm sorry. I'm Sorry. I'm sorry. I know this is the latest it's ever taken for me to post a chapter but I have my reasons. Writer's block, extreme laziness, no computer access, and some more laziness thrown in there. But I think I've gotten over my writer's block. As for everyone else, I appreciate the reviews from the first chapter and can't wait for more. They keep me motivated. Orion, Tek, keep doing what you're doing with your stories. They're awesome. Diddly Day. Where are you? Glad to see that you're feeling better. Um. it's been over 3 months since the last update of SCB. Other than that I'm done. Just keep reading, keep reviewing, and don't do drugs. Ok now Bye Bye Then. 


	3. Claire the Housewife sort of

Miracles Do Happen  
Author's Note: Hey, glad to see you all like this story so far. I like where it's going too. I'm trying to think of the next chapter now. So expect it sometime this weekend. I don't own RE but oh if I did. Well, my trustworthy people. Enjoy.  
Chapter 3- Claire the Housewife (Sort of)  
Claire Redfield slowly opened her eyes to gather the various sounds she heard all around her. The sound of the morning news and the radio was heavy to her ears. They were very sensitive from all the shouting and hollering going on the night before. The smell of Leon's blueberry waffles permeated through the air. Before gaining all of her strength to get out of bed, she looked over to the spot next to her and grinned. Sighing happily, she got up and put on some clothes before walking to the kitchen.  
  
'Morning baby." Claire greeted, giving Leon a morning kiss before getting a bowl of cereal to fix for herself. Leon smiled before getting up to throw his plate away.  
  
" Morning Claire. Slept well?" He asked with hidden meaning in his question. Claire gave him a look before putting the milk back inside the refrigerator and smiled at him.  
  
' Quite. What time are you getting off today?" She asked as she sat down.  
  
" Supposedly 9:00. I probrally won't be back home til 10 though." Claire sighed a bit.  
  
" Sherry's coming in tomorrow so we need to have a room ready. Call me when you get to work."  
  
" I will. Tomorrow we'll pick up Sherry, finish grocery shopping, and then I'll take you to dinner. All right?" Leon told her as he wrapped his arms around her from behind the chair. Claire nodded before turning around and giving him a long kiss goodbye. It was mornings like this that made her day worth it. Slowly Leon pulled away and went to turn off the t.v. He grabbed his coat and everything he needed for the day before walking to door. Claire got up to catch him before he left.  
  
" I love you Leon." Claire told him as Leon was about to step outside the door. Leon looked down at Claire and smiled a bit. Leon felt guilty about seeing Claire's slightly sad face. She never liked to see him leave. But it made him feel good to know that Claire missed him at all. He knew he missed her and the thought of getting home to her brought him through the day.  
  
Leon dropped his things and pulled Claire closer to him before giving her a kiss on her forehead.  
  
" I love you too Claire. I'll call you today and see you tonight. Ok, baby?"  
  
" Okay. And don't lose your keys at the precinct this time. Chris was really pissed at the fact he had to wake up 2:00 in the morning just to pick you up." Claire said before laughing.  
  
" Yeah, Yeah. Bye Claire." With that Leon walked down the stairs and Claire closed the door behind him. She sighed against the door before going back to the kitchen.  
  
Before sitting back down, Claire reached over for the phone.  
  
" Chris is at work, Jill's at work. Becky should be home." Claire wondered out loud. She dialed the number to Rebecca and Carlos' apartment. After about 4 rings someone finally picked up the phone.  
  
" Hello?" Asked Rebecca sleepily from the other end. Claire grinned a bit. Rebecca stayed tired.  
  
" It's Claire, Becca. Good morning."  
  
Rebecca yawned. " Yeah, good morning. What's on your mind?" Claire made that sound with her mouth when you suck your teeth.  
  
" Nothing much. Leon's pulling another 10:00 at work tonight. And I don't have anything to do. Wanna come up?" Claire asked. This was one of the reasons she was glad that Rebecca and Carlos stayed downstairs. Rebecca yawned one more time before speaking again.  
  
" Sure why not. Carlos is at work too. I could use the company. What about Jill? She game?"  
  
" Nope, Jill actually has a job. Something we both need." Claire replied. Rebecca laughed.  
  
" Okay, give me a few minutes. I'm on my way up. Bye." Rebecca told her.  
  
" Bye." Claire said before hanging up the phone.  
  
Walking back to her room, Claire picked out something to wear and made her way to the shower.  
  
20 Minutes Later  
  
Rebecca had already arrived and her and Claire were inside the living room watching soap operas. They were watching a new show called The Precinct. A cop soap opera featuring love triangles and such between policeman and detectives. Right now Lydia, a female detective was hiring a hitman to assassinate Jenna, a lowly secretary because she was having an affair with Lydia's former boyfriend Mark. Claire and Rebecca were watching the episode closely.  
  
" What I don't get is how can Mark be having an affair with Jenna if Lydia isn't really his girlfriend anymore.' Rebecca told Claire. Claire nodded her head without paying Rebecca any attention. At that moment, the show went to a commercial. Claire turned to Rebecca but her eyes resting on Becca's ever-growing belly.  
  
" Rebecca, are you sure you're not having twins." Claire asked. Rebecca glared at her. " Last time I checked, no. Say, why don't we go shopping for a little while." She suggested. Claire thought for a second.  
  
" Yeah, okay. Let me get my purse." She went back in the backroom and grabbed her purse off of the dresser. Walking back out Claire saw Rebecca watching the Price is Right. Claire grinned.  
  
" All right, let's go."  
  
Claire and Rebecca left the apartment and walked down the stairs to Rebecca's apartment. Becca went in to get her purse and everything she would need while they were out. Included her cell phone. Claire finished the glass of juice she was drinking and they left.  
  
As the two got to the car, Rebecca started to head for the driver's side, but Claire took the keys from her.  
  
" No, Becca, I'll drive." Rebecca smirked. " Go ahead, be my guest." Claire softened her attitude. " It's nothing personal Rebecca, but you really don't need to be driving right now." Claire told her while pointing to her belly. Rebecca smiled and lightly slapped her forehead. " Oh yeah. Well, in that case, let's roll."  
  
With that, Claire got into the driver's seat and Rebecca got on the passenger's side. Claire pulled out and the two made their way to the mall. On the way there, they stopped at a gas station so Rebecca could throw up again. Claire didn't mind though. She had gotten quite used to it. After the 45 minute traffic jam, they finally made it to the mall. Claire got out first to help Rebecca.  
  
" Any place in particular you wanted to go?' Claire asked. Rebecca grinned.  
  
" I was thinking about stopping by the video store. Maybe get Carlos to watch a movie from this decade." Claire laughed. " Yeah, I've noticed that too." After a good laugh, they both went inside.  
  
Walking through the mall, Claire and Rebecca both noticed and ignored the stares they were receiving from the guys passing them. Most of them seem to be in their late 20's early thirties. Some even looked like they were in their 40's and 50's. The women just smiled pass them and continued on. Eventually, Rebecca did go to the video store and by Carlos a movie from this decade, but she couldn't help but buy him his favorite type of movie either. Afterwards, Claire stopped inside Victoria's Secret to get something. Rebecca came in to see Claire at the register paying for something that looked similar to string rather than an article of clothing. Rebecca grinned and gave Claire an interrogating look.  
  
" Claire, was this really necessary?' Rebecca questioned while holding up the lingerie. Claire looked at her and gave her a sly smile.  
  
" Hey it's that holidays, right? I want to show Leon just how thankful I am for him. Is that too much to ask?" Claire admitted. Rebecca just shook her head.  
  
" Come on, I'm hungry." Rebecca surrendered. " Claire nodded and they left on their way to the food court.  
  
Deciding that they needed to save getting fat for Thanksgiving, ( Well, atleast Claire anyway) the two women decided to eat at Subway. Rebecca ordered the B.L.T. while Claire ordered the Turkey Breast and Ham. After getting their food they went to sit down in the food court.  
  
" What time is it now, Claire?" Rebecca asked. Claire looked at her watch. It read 3:07.  
  
" 3:07. We've been her for 2 and a half hours." Rebecca took a bite into her sub. " Okay, we can head home after this." Claire nodded in agreement.  
  
While the two were eating and talking about stuff, two guys that seemed to come from no where appeared beside them. While the one who was talking to Rebecca was busy, the redhead one was trying to talk to Claire.  
  
" Hi, my name is Jeff, If I may ask, what is your name miss?" The man asked. Claire smiled at him on the outside but inside she was rolling her eyes at him.  
  
" Claire. Nice to meet you Jeff. May I ask what is it you want?" Jeff smiled back at her. He clasped his hands together like he gaining all of his courage up.  
  
" I just wanted to ask you would like to go out sometime?" With that he tried to flash his trademark smile. Trademarks didn't work with Claire Redfield. Claire looked at him and gave her Redfield smile before leaning in forward towards him and telling him somewhat seductively and mockingly: " Sorry, but I'm taken." Jeff's confident demeanor seemed to falter for a second but he soon was back his cocky looking self. He sighed a bit before preparing to leave.  
  
" Oh, I see. Anyway, it was nice to meet you Claire." He held out his hand to shake hers. Claire returned the handshake. "You too, Jeff. Keep looking." Jeff turned around and smiled. " I will." Soon the man who was talking to Rebecca followed him. Claire turned to Rebecca.  
  
" We sure handled that well didn't we Becca?" Rebecca smiled a bit before giggling. Claire gave her a funny look. " What's so funny?" Rebecca looked over to the two men walking away before turning back to Claire.  
  
" That guy was going to ask me for my number until he looked at my stomach and saw I was pregnant. You should have see the look on his face." Claire smirked. " And being pregnant is supposed to run men away?" Rebecca gave Claire the finger before getting up. Claire got up also.  
  
Making their way back to the car, Rebecca's cell phone went over. It was none other than her fiance, Carlos.  
  
" Hey Carlos, what's up?" Rebecca asked as she got into the car. Claire cranked the car up and started to pull out.  
  
" Nothing, say did you eat the last of those noodles." Carlos asked a bit irritably. Rebecca groaned.  
  
" You called me on my cell phone, running up my minutes over some damn noodles! Oh you'll get your noodles alright. When I dump them on your head." Rebecca shouted at him. It sounded like a mixture of a laugh and an angry outburst. Claire just chuckled as she drove.  
  
" So that means there's still some in the house right?" Carlos asked as if he didn't just get yelled at. Rebecca slapped her forhead and sighed. " Check the pantry, bottom shelf Carlos." After that, she heard some rustlings and she called out Carlos' name. Carlos picked the phone back up.  
  
" Oh, I found them. Thanks baby. Want to go out to eat instead.?" Carlos asked grinning over the phone. Rebecca felt the anger in her face drain into a huge smile. " Oh Carlos. I'm on my way home now. Be there soon. Love you."  
  
" Love you too." Carlos said before hanging up the phone. Claire turned over to Rebecca who was grinning in her seat.  
  
" What was that all about?"  
  
" Carlos was just being Carlos. He's taking me out to dinner later on tonight." Claire smiled a bit.  
  
" That's good. Me and Leon are going out tomorrow night." Rebecca nodded before leaning back and closing her eyes. Claire continued to drive home.  
  
When they finally arrived, Claire went to Rebecca's apartment to hang out for a little while. While she was there she had gotten into an arm wrestling match with Carlos. She won quite a few. After 30 more minutes she left and went back up to her apartment and started arranging the extra bedroom for Sherry.  
  
Around 9:30 pm.  
  
Claire had just finished eating some Chinese Food that Chris and Jill had brought over since they were on that side of town. After taking the last bite, the phone rang right next to her. Picking it up Claire changed the channel on the t.v. to the news.  
  
" Hello, Kennedy/ Redfield residence." Claire asked. She could hear the sounds of various people in the background.  
  
" Hey baby, it's Leon. Look, I'm not going to make it home by ten after all. We just got a lead in Carlyle case and me and Jackson have to follow up. Hopefully it won't be an all nighter."  
  
Claire could feel herself sink into the seat. She hated it when Leon had to work late. After being alone for so long, she had come to depend on Leon presence to feel content.  
  
" All right. Try to come home soon though." Claire told him hopefully.  
  
" I will, don't worry about me. I'll be back before you know. And I'll make it up for you tomorrow. Promise." Leon told her.  
  
" Fine. Love you." Claire said as she turned off the t.v.  
  
The day's events had suddenly gotten to her. " Love you too. Goodnight." Leon said before hanging up the phone.  
  
After the conversation had ended, Claire sighed and went into the bathroom to take her a nice warm bath. After the bath, she changed into a gown and got into bed. It was 11:30 by the time she had fallen asleep.  
3:00 A.M  
  
Leon walked into the bedroom exhausted from all the overtime work he had to put in at work. Without even caring where it landed he threw his coat off of him. He went into the bathroom to change into some nightclothes. After all that he slid into bed and place an arm around his girlfriend's sleeping form. He whispered into her ear.  
  
" Claire?" She stirred a bit before turning around to see Leon staring at her. She smiled. " Please tell me you got tomorrow off." She asked. Leon smiled back.  
  
" Yeah, I did. Enough talk, go back to sleep." With that, Leon scooped Claire up in his arms and she rested her head on his chest, taking in the scent of his fresh masculine soap. She smiled inwardly as Leon's heavy breathing became lulled like soft purrs. Claire too, fell asleep once more. Now she was content because she was back in her man's arms.  
Author's Note: Sorry about the delay again. I tried to think of a good way to end this. I don't have much to say except keep reading and reviewing. I'm still thinking up the next chapter but in the next few upcoming chapters, something big's gonna happen. You'll see. Hope to see more support from you guys, cause you definitely have mine. Until next time. 


	4. Three's Company

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: As always, I gotta thank you guys for reviewing. They keep me writing. Seriously. Atleast, I feel better writing something I know somebody's actually reading. Well Sherry's here in this chapter and you know how that goes. And Santiago, I just say that cause I'm so used to getting these out fast. Okay, here we go.  
  
Chapter 4- Three's Company  
  
Claire slowly lifted herself off of her boyfriend's chest and moved to where she was right over him. She lightly sat down to where she was straddling his chest trying not to wake him. Leon didn't move. He was still exhausted from the overtime he put in at work. Grinning somewhat, Claire slowly bent down lower and lower until she was flat out kissing him. Even though he was sleeping she still tried to wrestle her tongue into his mouth. Unknown to Claire, Leon had awaken but he decided to be bold and allow Claire to kiss him more. Eventually, while Claire was still kissing him, Leon slowly moved his arms and placed them around her back pulling her closer to him. Claire jumped a bit but calmed down as soon as Leon started returning her kisses. They made out for 10 more minutes.  
  
At the Airport  
  
" Isn't that Sherry's plane coming in now?" Claire asked Leon, pointing over to the huge plane that was coming down the runway. Leon nodded.  
  
" Yep, it's been so long since I've last seen her. I wonder what she's been up too." Leon said to Claire as they walked over to the gate. Claire took his hand in hers. Leon looked to her and smiled.  
  
" Isn't it funny how it was Sherry that just happened to get us together?" Claire said as stopped at the window. Leon chuckled a little.  
  
" Yeah, I gotta thank her for that. Look's like they're unloading the plane now." Leon said as he pointed his head towards the gate. Claire looked over to see people she didn't know exiting out of the gate. She kept looking until she sighted a now 17 year old Sherry. Claire called out to her.  
  
" Sherry, over here!" Sherry looked around until her eyes fell upon her favorite couple. She shrieked and ran to Claire and Leon.  
  
" Claire!" Claire just smiled and opened her arms up to hug her. No matter how old Sherry was, she still felt safe when Claire hugged her. Leon just looked on, giving the two some time. Slowly Sherry pulled away from the hug and turned to Leon. She gave Leon a look. Leon put his hands in the air.  
  
" Please don't hit me." Sherry looked at him for a second then laughed. She went over to Leon to give him a big hug too.  
  
" I missed you guys. Where are the others?" Sherry asked. Leon left to go pick up Sherry's bags. Claire answered for him.  
  
" Chris and Jill are at work, Carlos is at home watching over Rebecca. She could go into labor at anytime now." Sherry's mouth dropped.  
  
" She's that far along now?" Claire just nodded. The last time Sherry had seen Rebecca, she hadn't even know she was pregnant.  
  
" Come on, Sherry. Let's go help our lovable Leon." Claire said teasingly as she directed her head towards Leon, who was stumbling over the bags that he was carrying. Sherry turned just in time to him trip over some bags and land on the conveyor belt. Claire and Sherry burst into laughter. Leon gave them an embarrassed look and chuckled dryly.  
  
" Ha Ha Ha." Claire and Sherry's laughter settled into giggles and the went over to help Leon.  
  
" Leon, how was the trip?" Sherry joked. She hadn't joked around with Leon since the Bahamas.  
  
" It was memorable." Leon said as he put her in the infamous headlock one more time before the trio walked out of the terminal.  
  
Outside the Airport  
  
" Okay, where to now?" Sherry asked from the backseat of the car. They had just finished packing all of her luggage into the trunk and they were about to pull off. Claire was looking at a women's magazine while Leon started up the car.  
  
" To the grocery store. We have to pick up some things for Thanksgiving Dinner. After that, we'll take your stuff to the house." Leon told her.  
  
" The grocery store? What do you need to pick up?" Sherry asked while looking out of the car window. Leon looked back at her through the rearview mirror.  
  
" Uh, rice, macaroni, drinks, muffins, a pie. And some miscellaneous stuff." Claire sighed a little bit as she put down the magazine she was reading. She then turned back to Sherry and gave her a questioning look.  
  
" Sherry, when's the last time you spoke to Adam hmm?" Leon rose an eyebrow and grunted. Claire just rolled her eyes at him and nodded her head to Sherry motioning for her to explain.  
  
" Um, about 3 days ago. He knew I was coming to spend Thanksgiving with you guys. He's going to try and make it for New Years. Chris and Jill doing all right?" Claire smiled before turning back around.  
  
" You'll find out soon enough."  
  
The car ride was quiet after that. Leon continued to drive with a couple of wise cracks to Sherry ere and there and a couple of joke's on Claire behalf which earned him about 3-5 knots on the head. About 10 minutes later Leon had found a store to stop into and went in to gather all the items that they needed. Claire and Sherry helped him to make sure that he got everything. Finally after they had paid for everything, they were finally on their way back to Leon and Claire's apartment.  
  
Back Home around 5:30  
  
" Sherry, was there really a need for all this luggage?" Leon wondered outloud.  
  
" Yes." She told him plainly as the brought the last of bags into her room. Sherry took a second to admire the space.  
  
" This is nice you guys. Did Claire decorate this?" Sherry asked as she flopped out on the bed.  
  
" Yeah, she did. Hey, Sherry I'm taking Claire out to dinner tonight, You want the place to yourself or do you wanna hang out at Carlos'." Sherry thought for a second.  
  
" I think I'll go hang out with Becca and Carlos. When are you two leaving anyway?" She asked. Leon looked at the already more than half way set sun.  
  
" I guess we can start getting dress now. Let me go tell Claire. You can call Becca and ask if you can go down there. I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."  
  
With that, Leon handed Sherry his cell phone and gave her Rebecca's number. Sherry dialed it and within 2 minutes was already in a full fledged conversation with her older friend. Leon smiled at the young girl he looked after like a sister and left to find the other female that was also known as the love of his life.  
  
Leon walked into the room to see Claire laying down on the bed. It seemed as if she had gone to sleep. Leon was about to close the door and watch some t.v. when Claire called out to him.  
  
"Leon?" He turned back around to see Claire with her eyes closed but still very much awake.  
  
" Yes, Claire."  
  
" When are we going out? Leon took a second to think about.  
  
" Well, I was hoping we could get dressed right now. But if you're still sleeping we can always wait until tomorrow." Leon suggested. Claire opened her eyes and rubbed her eyes.  
  
" No, I want to go. Let me get something to wear. I shouldn't be long." Leon nodded and left out the door.  
  
Once Leon had left Claire slid from the bed and started to look for something nice to wear. Almost instantly she reached into her jewelry box for the necklace that Leon had brought her while they were in the Bahamas. After looking around for a pair of shoes, she jumped into the shower and was back out in 5 minutes. After brushing her teeth, looked at herself in the mirror and grinned.  
  
" Sherry!" Claire yelled out loud. Seconds later, Claire could here footsteps enter her room and them lead to the bathroom. Sherry walked in from behind here. She stopped in her tracks and grinned.  
  
" What's the special occasion Claire?" Sherry questioned with mock emphasis. Claire smirked and turned back towards the younger girl.  
  
" What do you think I should do? Tie my hair into a bun, leave it down, or tie it back into my infamous ponytail?" Claire asked. Sherry put her chin on her fist for a second before snapping her fingers.  
  
" Watch this, Claire."  
  
Before Claire could protest, Sherry had already grabbed a comb and was going to work on Claire's hair. She parted it first and pulled her hair to where it slightly covered her eye. The rest of her hair she tied into the ponytail. In the end it looked like a regular ponytail except she had done Claire's bangs in a more dazzling fashion. Claire looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at Sherry.  
  
" I always knew I could count on you when it comes to fashion." Claire admitted. Sherry put the finishing touches on her creation before leaving.  
  
" Anytime."  
  
20 Minutes Later  
  
Leon had just finish tying up his shoes and was about to make his move on the Connect Four set he was playing with Sherry on. Sherry was badly beating him in this round. Unknown to him, Claire stepped out into the hallway in her beautiful black dress, showing all of her feminine curves but professional-looking at the same time. She stood there eyeing Leon waiting for him to notice her.  
  
Leon made his move. Sherry studied the situation for a minute before sucking her teeth and dropping her red piece. She smiled evilly at Leon.  
  
" Connect Four." Leon turned his head and started to frantically search the grid looking for a way out. He found none.  
  
" Damn." Sherry started giggling. Leon sulked a bit into the sofa. He had lost to this girl in almost every competition imaginable. Claire crept from behind her hiding spot and gently rested her hands on his broad shoulders. She started to massage them slowly.  
  
" You've had enough excitement for one night." Claire whispered into his ear. Leon put his hand on hers.  
  
" Yeah, your ready?" He asked as he turned around only to be left agaped.  
  
" Yes, I am." Claire said while holding back a giggled. Sherry coughed to break up the moment.  
  
" Um Um. Hey you two, I'm going to Becca's now. I don't have a key so come by and get me when you get back. Or you can let me spend the night. I don't care." Sherry said the last part with hidden meaning draining out of her voice.  
  
Claire shook her head while Leon sat up. " We'll come get you Sherry. We're going out the door now." He opened up the door and waited for Claire to follow. He reached for her hand. Sherry walked past them and was halfway down the stairs before turning around.  
  
" You guys have fun okay?' Leon and Claire nodded back and Sherry disappeared downstairs into the door that Leon had shown her earlier which had been Rebecca's.  
  
Claire looked into the earlier night sky as she and Leon walked to the car. She was just off thinking about her life in general these days. It seems so much more peaceful than the turbulent times of just 5 years earlier. She was shaken from her thought as Leon opened the car door for her.  
  
" Where are we going?" Claire asked as soon as Leon started up the car.  
  
" I wanna try this new place by the precinct. I heard they're real good. You don't mind do you?" Leon asked. Claire shook her head.  
  
" Oh no. I don't mind. But thank you." Leon turned to her confused.  
  
" Thanks for what?' He asked.  
  
" Thanks for making yesterday up to me like you said. We really should get out more." Claire said.  
  
Leon grinned before smiling and pulled Claire over to him to give her a kiss. Claire melted into it. Every time she kissed him, it reassured her that he was in fact the one she was destined to be with.  
  
" All right, let's go." Leon said as he started to pull out of the parking area. Claire just smiled to herself as she watch the city lights get brighter and brighter. For once everything in her life was right it needed to be.  
  
Author's note: Hey people. I don't know if you'll like this chapter or not. I was tired this weekend. I think it could have been better. Well, anyway, Sherry's here. Thanksgiving for the gang will be in two more days. When will Rebecca have her baby? When will Leon finally beat Sherry in something? When will Claire go back to school? When will we see Chris and Jill again? Read and review folks cause all will be revealed as you continue to read this story. Alrighty then. P.S, Sour Schyluer thanks for the constructive criticism but I don't know why fanfiction.net formats the story like that. I'll try to format it better. Keep reading though. 


	5. Dinner and an Emergency

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Hey people out there. We get out of school on Thursday so they're cramming us with work. But hey, I'm going to be a senior, why am I complaining. Well, a lot of you wanted to know what's going on with Rebecca and if Leon will propose soon. One of these questions will be revealed in this chapter. Enjoy.  
  
Chapter 5- Dinner and an Emergency  
  
" I don't always leave hair in the sink! That's a lie." Claire exclaimed. Leon picked up a piece of stray hair that had fallen onto the table and held up.  
  
" Uh Huh, you've never left hair in the sink." Leon smirked. Claire slapped him on the arm. Leon just laughed. The two had already taken their orders and were patiently waiting for their food. Leon was sitting across from Claire and the two were just making conversation about the smallest things. Neither of them cared about the looks some of the other customers were giving them.  
  
" Like you haven't left water all over the bathroom floor before? Remember that time you slipped coming out of the shower and hit your head. I thought I had to rush you to the hospital." Claire shot back. Leon grinned a bit.  
  
" And remember your brother's reaction when he came to see what had happened?" Claire smiled broadly, thinking about the memory.  
  
" If I remember correctly, he came to find you laid out on the floor..." Claire couldn't finish because she soon broke out into laughter. Leon rolled his eyes mockingly.  
  
" Go ahead and say it. You know you want to." Claire took a second to calm down.  
  
" Naked. On the floor. Water all over the place. All I heard was a loud scream. I thought it was you but it was Chris covering his eyes and screaming in horror. Leon, I have to tell Sherry." Claire said. Leon's calm demeanor changed to one of horror.  
  
"Oh No. Sherry will never live it down. She'll remind me of that moment for the rest of my pathetic life." Leon informed, grinning the whole time. Claire just smiled at the thought of Sherry laughing herself silly at Leon's uh, interlude.  
  
At that moment, the waiter came out with Leon and Claire's dinner. Leon had the catfish. Claire chose to eat the salmon. That was one of the many things that they had in common. They both love seafood and fish was their favorite. The waiter told them to enjoy their dinner and they begin to eat.  
  
Leon looked over to Claire and admired how she would sometimes go off into a daze. He found out a long time ago that she was always thinking about something. Most of the time it was about him. Here she was right in front of him, eating dinner, having conversation. There was no more awkwardness or nervousness about the situation they were in. They had been out together so many times before this. Now that he and she were a couple. Slipping out of his own daze Leon began to eat his food.  
  
Claire was thinking similar thoughts. Tonight reinforced the fact that Leon was still her friend as well as her lover. With him, she could forget about the stresses of life and think about good times. So many wonderful things could be associated with her love for him. Taking a glance at the man in front of her, Claire knew then that one day she be at this same table again. But not looking at her boyfriend. She'd be looking at her husband.  
  
Meanwhile at Rebecca and Carlos' Place  
  
" Left foot Blue, right foot Red." Sherry called after spinning the spinner. Sherry was crossed over Rebecca who was crossed over Carlos, who was practically stretched from one end of the mat to the other. Slowly each of them took a chance to move. Rebecca made it to her spot but her extra weight wasn't helping her and she slid off of Carlos' back.  
  
Ummph!  
  
" You all right Becca?" Carlos and Sherry asked at almost the same time.  
  
"Yeah, I just feel a little weak." Rebecca said while slowly walking over to the chair. She had been feeling tired all day. Carlos' asked if she had felt sick she said no, just tired.  
  
Back to the Twister game, Carlos was holding up against the Champion of almost anything, the younger of the three, Sherry. Sherry was slowly losing her grip on her spot. She almost fell over while trying to reach the spinner.  
  
" Right hand Green, Left foot yellow." Sherry said. Carlos groaned as he noticed the predicament he was now in. And Sherry's bottom in his way wasn't helping. Carlos sucked his teeth at her.  
  
" Sherry, I wish you'd move your fat ass." He said a bit irritably but teasing her none the less. Sherry grunted at him.  
  
" Shut up, you South American bastard." Sherry called back with a grin on her face. Carlos grinned back.  
  
" Oh, that's good. You're going down." Carlos challenged her back. Sherry smiled.  
  
" Bring it." Carlos attempted to move to the designated spots on the mat. As he crossed his left foot over Sherry's back he started to lose balance and in about 2 seconds he was lying face first on the ground.  
  
From the reclining chair, Rebecca laughed whole-heartily at her dumbass of a fiance lying face first in the mat. Rebecca had heard from Leon of Sherry's uncanny winning streak and was beginning to think Sherry was some kind of prodigy or something. She quickly laughed of the thought when she felt a sharp pain in her abdominal area. She winced.  
  
" Carlos?" Rebecca called softly, grimacing as she held her hand to where she felt the pain. Carlos rose his head up to hear what she had to say.  
  
"What is it baby?" He asked with concern. Sherry too had a concerned look on her face. Realization began to fall on the both of them.  
  
"You're having the baby?" Sherry said in the form of a question but figured that she already knew the answer. " Rebecca nodded slowly before trying to get up but falling back into the chair.  
  
" I think my water broke." Carlos got up quick and went over to Rebecca's side. It looked like her pain was increasing.  
  
"Sherry, go call 911! I'll stay here with Rebecca." Carlos told her with panic increasing in his voice. Sherry nodded and ran to the kitchen to use the phone. Carlos pulled out his bandana he always kept with him and wiped of his fiance's forehead, which was beginning to sweat.  
  
" She's on her way Becca. It's about time we start thinking up some names don't you think?" Carlos said teasingly trying to calm her down. Rebecca chuckled a bit before laying her head on Carlos' arm. He was sitting on the arm rest next to her. She reached for his hand that was on her leg. Carlos grabbed hers and squeezed it as if telling her everything was going to be okay.  
  
" Tell Sherry to call Chris and Jill. So Claire and Leon will know where Sherry is. I want her to come with us to the hospital." Rebecca asked Carlos. Carlos nodded and went to tell Sherry what Rebecca had said.  
  
At Chris and Jill's House  
  
" Chris, it's Sherry. She's at Rebecca's and she want's to talk to you. She says it's urgent." Jill told Chris as she handed to phone over to him. The two of them were watching Signs when the phone had rang. Chris took the phone with a confused look on his face.  
  
" Hey, Sherry what's up?" Chris asked. Jill leaned in to hear what Sherry was saying.  
  
" Chris, Becca's having the baby. The ambulance are on their way now. Rebecca wants you to let Leon and Claire know that Carlos and I are going over there. Are you two coming too?" Sherry asked.  
  
" Yeah, I'll let them know. We're on our way. Bye" Chris said hastily as he  
  
hung up the phone. Jill looked at him curiously.  
  
" What's she so worried about and where are going?" Jill asked. Chris sighed before getting up from the sofa.  
  
" Rebecca's having the baby." Jill's jaw dropped.  
  
" What!? Well, come on, I want to be there with her Chris." Chris acknowledged her.  
  
" Okay, get the car ready while I call Claire." Jill nodded and grabbed her coat.  
  
Back to Claire and Leon  
  
Claire and Leon had already left the restaurant and where now dancing at a new Carribean club that had opened downtown. The two automatically went to try it. Right now, they were dance to a slow reggae tune that a small band was playing. Claire had her head on Leon's should as the phone rang. A bit irritated she answered it. Her and Leon went outside so they could hear better.  
  
" Hello?" She asked. Chris's tenor voice came over the line.  
  
" Claire, Sherry and Carlos told me to tell you that they went to the hospital down the street from Leon's precinct. Rebecca's having the baby. Me and Jill are on our way there now."  
  
Claire's jaw dropped similar to how Jill's did. " Okay, we're coming. Bye."  
  
" Bye." They both hung up. Leon was staring at Claire with a questioning glance.  
  
" What's wrong?" Claire put the phone back into her purse and started to move towards their car.  
  
" Rebecca's having the baby." Leon started to walk with her to the car and chuckled to himself.  
  
" No shit." With that, he got into the car with Claire, hoping that his friend would be okay. And her daughter too.  
  
Back to Rebecca, Carlos, and Sherry in the ambulance  
  
Sherry was sitting next to the paramedic watching them do standard procedure on Rebecca. The whole time her heart going out to her older friend. She seemed to be in more and more pain.  
  
" Keep it up, Rebecca, you're doing great." Sherry said trying to give encouragement. Becca smiled weakly at her. Carlos smiled at Sherry to let her know he appreciated what she was trying to do. Sherry couldn't help but noticed how tight Carlos was holding on to Rebecca's hand. Or it could have been vice versa. She smiled inwardly at the two insane lovebirds. They finally had a baby bird on the way to their nest.  
  
Author's Note: Hey, I got this one up quick. I liked this chapter because it was something new. Jumping from scene to scene but they all connected. Now people who wanted to know about Becca's baby, are you happy? But I plan on doing something. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and wanna see a review from you. They keep me alive. Ha Ha Ha. Anyway, this story is far from over. And I don't think that will be a problem. Will it? Until next time. 


	6. Miracle

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Alas, I have returned. From the looks of things I'd say I'm doing okay for a sequel. Appreciate all of the reviews and you just taking the time to read the story. Okay, here goes chapter 6.  
  
Chapter 6- Miracle  
  
" Chris, Jill over here!" Sherry yelled from the waiting room down the hall. The sounds of her surrounding was drowning out her voices. They turned their heads to see Sherry waving at them.  
  
" How is Rebecca doing Sherry?" Chris asked as he and Jill sat down. Jill looked over to the girl also.  
  
" I don't know. I guess she's doing okay. Carlos is with her right now I think. He was pretty nervous." Sherry pointed out. Jill smirked a little bit.  
  
" It's about time Carlos stopped thinking about himself all the time." Chris looked at her and shook his head in amusement.  
  
" My my Jill, is that way to talk about someone's whose about to be a father.?" Chris asked. Jill pretended to think his question over.  
  
" Only if that person is Carlos, Leon, or you." Chris chuckled. Sherry let out a little smirk.  
  
" Speaking of Leon, where is he and Claire?" Chris asked out loud. At that moment, Leon and Claire walked into the waiting room.  
  
" Right here. Is she doing alright?" Leon asked. Claire too was little worried for her friend. Sherry nodded.  
  
" She's fine." After that, everyone just sat in silence waiting for Carlos to come back with some news. Sherry didn't want to get lost in her thoughts so she tried to start up some conversation.  
  
" Did anybody watch American Idol last week?' Leon gave her a look. He knew then and there Carlos better hurry back with some news.  
  
About an 5 hours later Carlos came back to the waiting room informing everyone that Rebecca had about 1 more hours to go hopefully and that she wanted to see then all now. Anxious to see her, everyone got up and followed Carlos to her room.  
  
Rebecca felt helpless. She was stuck to a bed with pretty much no back support and monitors were everywhere. The beeping noises kept her awake and she was about to go insane. So when she saw her friends came in to see her, it brought her some relief.  
  
Chris walked over to see how she was doing first. He looked down at her and smiled.  
  
" I can't believe this is the same girl I rescued from that mansion. You've grown so much Rebecca. You're going to be a great mother." He put a hand on her forehead. Rebecca smiled.  
  
" Well, it's me. I just hope I have the strength to pull through this." Rebecca said weakly. Jill couldn't help but smile at her husband and her "little sister".  
  
Rebecca looked over to the rest of the group just watching her. " Jill, Claire, Leon, and Sherry. Get over here." She told them sternly. They just chuckled and went over to her.  
  
" You thought of a name yet Becca?" Jill asked as she came to give Rebecca a hug. Rebecca ignored the pain as she reached up to hug her.  
  
" Yeah, me and Carlos are going to name her after Carlos' mother. Juliana." She looked over to Carlos who was looking right back to her with nothing but love and support in his eyes.  
  
" Juliana Oliviera. That sounds nice." Claire said as she put her hand around Leon's waist. Sherry grinned over to Carlos.  
  
" Oh yeah, that reminds me. When are you two getting married anyway?"  
  
" Supposedly next month." Rebecca said from her bed. She was about to tell her what day but suddenly she felt pain like she never had before and started to hyperventilate. Tears were beginning to rush from her eyes. She let out a scream.  
  
" What's wrong Rebecca?!" Jill asked worriedly. Rebecca couldn't answer from all the pain she was in. Just then some nurses and doctors rushed inside the room and told everyone she was going to deliver the baby and that they had to leave. Everyone except Carlos left. The head doctor turned to him.  
  
" Are you Ms. Chamber's husband?" He asked. Carlos looked right back at him.  
  
" Fiance." He told him simply and straight to the point. The doctor eyed him a bit. " Okay, you can stay with her." Carlos gave him a quick thanks before going over to Rebecca. She grabbed on to his hand real hard but Carlos was too worried about her health to complain about how tight the grip was.  
  
Outside in the waiting room  
  
" I wonder what it's going to be like. You know, all of us watching over her. I'm excited." Claire said to Leon while they were all discussing what would happen after the baby was born. Leon nodded.  
  
" I always thought that those two would have a kid first out of all of us." He said as he pointed over to Chris and Jill. They looked back over at him and gave him a scolding look.  
  
" Hey, who are the married people here? We just want to have some time to ourselves before we worry about children." Jill said standing up for her and Chris. Sherry just giggled at the whole situation.  
  
" Leon, you and Claire aren't married nor are you two expecting? So you can't really criticize anyone.?"  
  
Leon looked over to Sherry and grinned. " That may so Sherry, but hopefully atleast one of those facts will change soon." Chris gave Leon a glance but Leon just winked. Chris looked to him with realization. Jill and Claire however picked up on Leon's words very quickly.  
  
' What did he mean, hopefully atleast one of those facts will change soon? Is he planning on proposing sometime soon. Maybe he want's to have a child. Men, especially Leon are too damn confusing.' Claire thought while looking over to her boyfriend. He hadn't recognized what he had said. Jill looked as if she was about to comment but Claire shook her head. Jill calmed down. Sherry looked back and forth between them and caught the drift. She didn't pursue Leon's comment. Leon looked around at everyone's unusual body movement's and looked a bit stupified.  
  
' Why is everyone acting all funny?' He thought.  
  
Inside the delivery room  
  
The doctors had been with Rebecca for almost another three hours. Each hour, was more excruciating than the last.  
  
" Okay, Rebecca, I see the head. Now I'm going to need you to push okay." The nurse said in a calm tone. Rebecca shook her head.  
  
" I can't push anymore. It's too hard." The nurse tried to comfort her again.  
  
" No, you can do it. In 5 minutes it'll all be over. Now push for me."  
  
" Come on, Becca. I'm right here with you. You can do it. I'm sure she's tired of being in the dark." Carlos joked. Rebecca grinned.  
  
" Alright." With that, she gave a hard push. The baby's head slowly made it's way out. After a few more pushes she had gotten the majority of the baby out. Carlos looked down to his fiance's tired form.  
  
" Just one more push. Then you can hold her." He told Rebecca. She looked like she was about to quit. But she gathered up the strength to push one last time expelling the baby from her womb. The first thing Rebecca heard was a soft crying. The doctors took the baby into a back room to wash off and the nurse cleaned up and tended to Rebecca.  
  
" You did great Rebecca. You have a strong will." The nurse told her. Rebecca looked back at Carlos than to her.  
  
" Thank you."  
  
Carlos looked down to his hand that hand been pretty much crushed by Rebecca's grip. He didn't mind though. He figured that the color would return in a few days. Carlos bent down to give Rebecca a long kiss before her heard the sound of a baby approaching. The nurse smiled at the couple before handing Rebecca her daughter.  
  
" She's quite beautiful." The nurse told her. Rebecca didn't answer. After one look at her daughter she started to cry with joy. Carlos thanked her and asked if she would go get the others.  
  
Rebecca was slowly rocking her daughter from side to side. Carlos peered over her shoulder to see his daughter.  
  
" Juliana. I'm your mother Rebecca. This is your handsome father Carlos." Rebecca said in a genuine motherly voice. Carlos chuckled. Slowly the gang crept into the room. Sherry was the first one to notice the baby. " Oh my God, she's beautiful Rebecca." Claire and Jill walked over to Rebecca and gave similar responses. Even Leon and Chris, the macho men, were a bit teary-eyed at the sight before them.  
  
Rebecca moved Julie into a position where all of them could see her. Rebecca pointed to each of her friends. " Juliana, this is your Uncle Chris, and Uncle Leon. Then you have your Aunt Sherry, Aunt Claire, and Auntie Jill." For a second, Rebecca could have sworn that Julie gave here a slight smile.  
  
Later on the nurse came back to the room and asked Carlos and Rebecca to fill out some paperwork. You know birth certificates and stuff. About 2 hours later the gang said their goodbyes and told Rebecca that if she was home by Thanksgiving day, that they would bring her something to eat. After they left, Carlos came back into the room with a sub from ( You guessed it) Subway. Rebecca groaned a bit.  
  
" Carlos, don't you remember what happened last time you had a sub over here?" Carlos gave her a look.  
  
" Hey, I was just caught by surprise. I know how to chew food." Carlos defended. Rebecca laid back and closed her eyes. " Riiiigghhht"  
  
Carlos put down his sandwich and walked over to Rebecca. " Becca?" She didn't answer. She had fallen asleep. Gazing down at her he bent down and gave her a loving kiss on the forehead. Rebecca smiled in her sleep. Carlos decided that he needed some sleep too.  
  
" Goodnight Rebecca." He said as started to doze off in the chair next to her bed.  
  
Author's Note: Aha! I wrote it. I kick ass. Rebecca's finally had the baby. (Everyone take a second to smile.) Leon's slipped up by revealing his plans indiscreetly. What will Claire do? And Thanksgiving is on the way for them all. How did you all like that chapter. I hope I satisfied some of your thirst. I really wanted to give Juliana a middle name but I couldn't think of one for the life of me. Well, review folks so I feel good about myself and write some more. Appreciate the support. Alrighty then.  
  
" 


	7. A Day in the Life of A Married Couple

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Alright, I'm back with another chapter. Well, we atleast have one part of the story out of the way. Now I will try to focus on everything else in more detail. Keep reading the story and keep reviewing please. I'll feel inspired.  
  
Chapter 7- A Day in the Life of a Married Couple  
  
Chris opened is sleep-crusted eyes and stretched out his arms and legs. A yawn accompanied it. Looking over to the clock on his dresser, he noticed that it was going on 2:00 in the afternoon. He usually didn't sleep this late but after not getting home until close to 4:00 this morning he wasn't too surprised. Finally adjusting to the daylight, Chris eventually noticed the extra weight on his chest. Which proved to be his ever loving wife Jill. She had her head nestled inside the contours of his upper torso. Right under his neck. Her legs were wrapped around his leg. And her hair was right in his face, preventing him from seeing her serene face.  
  
" I'm fricken hungry." Chris said aloud. Jill stirred a bit and slowly lifted her head up at him. She looked at him sleepily.  
  
" Huh, what's wrong?" She asked, barely having a clue as to what Chris had said. Chris smirked.  
  
" I said, I was hungry. I'm going to go fix something." Jill yawned one more time before laying her head back across his chest once again.  
  
" I'll help you. Wait 5 more minutes." Chris grinned and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
" All right." Jill made a sighing sound and was back asleep. Chris was too.  
  
About an Hour Later  
  
Briiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnngggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.  
  
The sound of the phone ringing was like the sound of a nuclear bomb going off in Chris and Jill's ears. Chris shot his arm out and irritably answered the phone.  
  
" Hello." Chris said straight to the point. He could hear Leon chuckle over the other line.  
  
" Well well well, Chris Redfield is pissed off yet again." Jill had heard him over the phone and smiled a bit.  
  
" What the hell is it Leon?"  
  
' Oh nothing much. Me and girls are gonna go see Becca and Carlos for a bit. Oh yeah, Claire said that we were gonna come over and help you guys with Thanksgiving. And besides, I got something I want to ask you."  
  
Chris looked up at the ceiling for a second. "All right. When are you going to the hospital?"  
  
"Um, in about 20 minutes. You and Jill better be ready or else. We're on the way over to your house now." Leon threatened sarcastically. Chris grunted.  
  
" Fine. And Leon. If Claire is pregnant before she gets married, I was break every body in your body and castrate you." Leon gulped over the line and chuckled nervously. Chris smiled but put back on a straight face when he noticed that Jill was giving him a dirty look. Chris hung up the phone and turned back to his wife. He held his arms out as if he was confused.  
  
" What?" Chris asked. Jill shook her head.  
  
"Why are you so bad to Leon, hmm? You know he loves Claire to death." Chris just grinned at her as he slowly got up from the bed. He picked Jill up as he did. Jill smiled as he walked her from the bedroom and set her on the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Chris went to the refrigerator to grab some orange juice and a bagel and he brought Jill some too.  
  
' It's because he's my sister's boyfriend. And it's my duty to be a dick about everything they do. And besides, I think that they'd be better off married first. And since we've already done that....." Chris trailed off. Jill looked at him.  
  
" What?' Chris looked at her slyly.  
  
" We can practice." Jill wrapped her legs around Chris' back as she sat on the breakfast bar and Chris stood in front of her.  
  
" Don't we do enough of that as it is?" Jill told him. Chris shook his head and kissed her neck.  
  
" Nah, you can never have too much practice". Chris told her emphasizing practice. Jill gave him another look before letting go of him and returning to her breakfast.  
  
" You do know it's going on 5:30 in the afternoon don't you? And we're eating our breakfast food." Chris paused.  
  
" Oh shit, it is isn't it. Well, I'll leave it up to you to go shopping this time." He said finishing up his bagel. Jill too was finishing hers.  
  
" I'd be glad too. Because you always forget all of the important stuff and come home with garbage. Take this cheesecake here." Jill said as she finished putting her dishes in the sink. She opened up the refrigerator and pull out a chocolate swirl cheesecake.  
  
" I asked you to bring home a cherry pie and you bring this. Just because it was on sale and the pie wasn't. Face it, you're a cheapskate as well as an idiot." Chris tilted his head.  
  
" Hey now, I'm maybe an idiot but I'm no cheapskate. It cost me an arm and a leg for that engagment ring. And the wedding ring. And the wedding. And the.." Jill cut him off.  
  
" I know. You just can't shop. Okay, let's get ready. I'm going to jump in the shower."  
  
Chris looked on as she made her way to their bathroom. A grin crossed his face as he watched her backside. It was to say the least one of the things that made Jill Redfield, Jill Redfield. A gift from God you could say. With that, Chris looked at the cheesecake sitting on the counter and started to run after Jill.  
  
" Wait, Jill, I'm coming too!" Chris said as he ran after her. He hit his leg on a chair that wasn't pushed under the desk and cursed but continued on his way.  
  
At the Hospital Waiting to See Rebecca  
  
" We're here to see Rebecca Chambers." Chris told the receptionist. She was a fairly young and attractive lady. She was short and wore glasses. Looking up from her computer, she turned to the group and pointed down the hall towards Rebecca's room.  
  
" Room 165" She said as she turned back to her computer. The gang said thanks and went on their way.  
  
After walking down the hallway they slowly opened the door to see Rebecca still in bed but looking much better. She and Carlos were busy watching Spongebob Squarepants to notice them come in. Juliana was in Carlos' arms. Leon coughed so they could realize their presence. Carlos and Rebecca turned around surprised.  
  
" Oh, we didn't hear you guys come in." Rebecca said. Claire went over to Carlos. Leon followed her. Sherry started talking to Becca, asking her questions about how it feels to be a mother.  
  
" Can I hold her?" Claire asked Carlos. He nodded and handed the baby over to her. Chris and Jill walked over to get a closer look at her.  
  
" She's got Rebecca's nose and mouth. But she's got Carlos' eyes though." Jill noticed. Claire nodded.  
  
" Yeah, I can see that she's going to be a feisty one." Claire said as she started to rock her back and forth. Juliana started to cry a little bit but stayed quiet.  
  
" Oh yeah, you left the camera over at Chris and Jill's house so we can record her tomorrow." Leon said to Rebecca suddenly remembering. Rebecca smiled a bit.  
  
" They might let me out today. Last time the doctor checked on me he said I was doing better than normal."  
  
" Chris, why don't you and Carlos go see if they'll let Rebecca out early?" Jill suggested. Carlos and Chris said okay and left.  
  
" Let me hold her Claire." Jill told her. Claire handed her over. Jill started to slowly rock her while making a cooing sound.  
  
" Trust me Juliana, out of all of your aunts, Auntie Jill is the coolest one." Claire and Sherry smirked at her. Jill smiled at them.  
  
" You've got Carlos' complexion, eyes and hair. But Becca she has your face. Oh, Becca and Carlos are going to have a time with you when those boys come around." Rebecca giggled at Jill's predictions.  
  
" Can I hold her now?" Sherry asked. Jill nodded and handed her over to her.  
  
" Well, at least I'm not the youngest anymore." Sherry said while looking at Juliana.  
  
" I'm so glad we finished that extra room when we did." Rebecca said to Claire.  
  
" Yeah, but thanks to Leon we had to repeat painting it 2 times because it was quote unquote "the wrong color." Claire said while putting her fingers in quotations.  
  
Leon, who was sitting down in the chair watching Spongebob turned his head sharply to Claire and narrowed his eyes a bit.  
  
" Blue brings out the room better than yellow does." He said plainly. Claire rolled her eyes.  
  
" Leon baby, you're blue. That's the only color you wear." Leon scoffed.  
  
" I wear black." He shot back observing the dark blue navy jeans he was wearing.  
  
Before they couple could get into another unnecessary argument, Chris and Carlos came back with some good news.  
  
" Rebecca, the doctor said we could take you home." Carlos said with a smile on his face. Rebecca smiled.  
  
" Great, I miss the house already."  
  
From there, Carlos went back outside to fill out some papers and the gang helped Rebecca pack her stuff up. After about 45 minutes, everything was done and Carlos was pushing Rebecca to the car. She didn't feel weak, she just didn't want to walk.  
  
" Where to now?" Sherry asked while helping Rebecca into the backseat of Leon and Claire's car.  
  
" Well, Claire and Jill are going to start on Thanksgiving dinner. We could stop by the apartment and pick up some stuff from our apartment and Carlos'. Then we can all spend the night at Chris' house. If it's okay with you." Leon said to Chris as he put Rebecca' s things into the truck.  
  
" It's fine with me. Jill?" Chris asked Jill. She nodded.  
  
" We'll go ahead to the house. You guys can go home first."  
  
" Okay, see you in an hour." Claire said as she got into the front seat with Leon. Rebecca told them bye as Chris and Jill started to head for their car. Chris took one last look at Juliana and smiled before waving back.  
  
" Love is not going to be a problem for Juliana at all." Chris said to Jill as he started up the car. Jill looked to him and asked.  
  
" Why do you say that?"  
  
" Because, it's like she my own daughter in a way. And I take my family very seriously." Jill nodded and made a hmm sound.  
  
" I know. You'll make a great father. You've already handled the husband position pretty well." Chris chuckled.  
  
" Well, I try."  
  
At Chris and Jill's House before the others arrive  
  
" Chris, bring me that pillow off of that floor." Jill said as she finished making up the bed for Rebecca. She and Chris had already planned the sleeping arrangements. She and Chris would sleep in their room. Carlos and Rebecca would sleep in Claire's old room. They had told Rebecca to bring something for Juliana to sleep in. And Claire, Leon and Sherry would get the living room. Leon and Claire would most likely get the sofa while Sherry got the recliner.  
  
Chris picked it up and puffed it a couple of times before handing it to her.  
  
" It looks good Jill. Rebecca won't care just as long as it's comfy."  
  
" I wish I could sleep here. Once me and Claire get started we may be up all night. And we have more to do in the morning." Chris walked over to her.  
  
" It looks like they won't be here for another 20 minutes. Come on and get some rest." Chris said as he started to pick her up and carry her. Jill just sighed in relief and let Chris carry her back to their bed. He sat her down and crawled in next to her.  
  
" Go on and sleep now. I'll be awake when they come." Jill gave him a loving stare.  
  
" Thank you Chris. I love you." Chris just kissed her lightly on the lips leaving Jill wanting more.  
  
" I love you too Jill. Now sleep. I don't want to eat burnt food on Thanksgiving just because you fell asleep on it." Jill snorted at him and closed her eyes.  
  
Chris wasn't sleepy so he didn't close his eyes. Instead, he looked at the beautiful angel lying on his chest. She looked peaceful and serene. Chris had been married to her for 3 months now and his feelings haven't changed. Jill always has and forever will be Jill. The woman he fell in love with. If love was a pit, then Chris fell into an endless one.  
  
Author's Note: That chapter was good and long wasn't it. I just want to make it clear right now that this story is not going to end anytime soon. After Thanksgiving. I still have some stuff planned. Only thing is, I feel writer's block coming on again. Please keep reading and reviewing. I might even pass 100 reviews this time. Angel Kitty, appreciate you reviewing just because I asked you to and saying I was a good writer. Maybe you should try your hand at writing a fic. I did and look at me. Everyone else that reviewed or didn't review, I thank you too. I will continue to kick ass. Alrighty then. 


	8. Preparations

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Okay, I want to first thank you all for reviewing. Orion, suicide is not the answer. Be a good man and put the gun down. Ha Ha Ha. Anyway, this is chapter 8. I really want to put more detail into the story from now on, so hopefully these chapters will be good and long like the last one. All Right. Here we go.  
  
Chapter 8- Preparations ( For Tomorrow We Dine)  
  
" Okay, the turkey is thawed out. Are you ready to prepare it now?" Jill asked Claire as she pressed her fingers onto the turkey in the sink. She was feeling to see if it had finished thawing out. Claire, who was busy making her cherry pie, just nodded. Jill took that as a yes and tried to pick the turkey up out of the sink but it was too heavy.  
  
" Chris!" Jill yelled into the living room where he and the others were watching The Fast and the Furious.  
  
Chris was just getting into the movie when he heard Jill's voice bring him back from the fast lane. He sighed a little and got up to go see what she wanted.  
  
" Yes, Jill?" Chris asked as he walked into the kitchen. Jill looked at him sweetly.  
  
" Put this turkey in that pot for me, please sweetie." Chris shrugged and proceeded to do as she asked.  
  
" Thank you." Jill told him before giving him a kiss. Claire made a gagging sound at the two.  
  
" You two are worse than Becca and Carlos now. Even me and Leon aren't as "exposing" as you two." Chris gave her the bird. Jill gave Claire a look.  
  
" Bullshit, Claire. If I remember correctly, that night we went to the pool at your house, you and Leon were getting busy for all to see." Claire shut up and blushed. Chris grimaced.  
  
" Hey, Hey! I don't wanna know all that." As if on cue, Leon just happened to walk in the room.  
  
" Hey Jill. The pie looks good Claire." Leon told her as he went to examine it. Claire smiled at him. Seconds later, the two were lip-locking and Chris and Jill just snickered.  
  
" Ha, who's the one that's overexposed?" Chris smirked. Claire gave Chris the finger as she continued to kiss Leon. Chris grinned one last time at the two and turned to help Jill with the turkey.  
  
In the living room, Carlos was cuddling Rebecca, who was protectively holding her daughter in her arms. Sherry couldn't help but smile at their whole family holding on to each other like that. Every since they found out Rebecca was pregnant, she noticed that Carlos stopped playing around as much. Maybe because he actually had a responsibility now.  
  
" Why aren't you helping Claire and Jill cook, Rebecca? You know how to cook don't you?" Sherry asked. Carlos chuckled.  
  
" Sherry, Rebecca cannot cook anything that doesn't have instructions." Rebecca cut her eyes at him but just ignored the urge to slap him and smiled at Sherry.  
  
" Excuse me Sherry, I have to feed Juliana. I'll be back." Slowly she got up from the sofa and Juliana started to cry. Rebecca started to sing to her softly as she walked upstairs to the room that Jill had prepared for her.  
  
" Hey Sherry, you wanna help me put this baby rocker together?" Carlos asked as the movie on screen started to roll the ending credits. Sherry agreed. She didn't want to watch anymore t.v.  
  
Getting off the recliner she helped Carlos open the box and pulled out the instructions. To her they looked like they were written in another language. Sherry grinned and looked over to Carlos. He was musing over the screws and pieces.  
  
" All right. How do we put this thing together?" Sherry asked. Carlos looked back to her just as confused as she was and shrugged. He didn't know where to begin.  
  
Meanwhile  
  
It was going on 11:30 and Claire and Jill were still cooking and preparing food. Chris and Leon had nothing better to do so they helped out too.  
  
" You two need us to do anything else?" Leon asked as he threw some trash away. The kitchen was cluttered with cooking utensils and trash. Chris was sitting in a chair about to fall asleep. His head drooped for a bit before he quickly lifted it back up. Jill stopped chopping up the blocks of cheese she would need and looked around. She turned to Claire.  
  
" I think that's about it. Think so Claire?" Claire nodded.  
  
" Yeah, we can get the rest in the morning. Me and Jill are just waiting for the turkey to finish."  
  
" All right. Let me know if you need something. Chris, you wanna go sit on the porch for a minute?" Leon asked. Chris lifted his head up and gave Leon a tired look. But he knew what Leon wanted to talk to him about.  
  
" Yeah, whatever." Chris yawned. Leon chuckled and took that as a yes. Claire and Jill looked at the two curiously as the stepped outside through the slide door before returning back to their work.  
  
Outside  
  
" So what is it you wanted to talk about Leon?' Chris asked as he sat down in the patio chair. He was sleepy and was ready to get in the bed but he decided he hear what Leon had to say first. Leon sighed before taking a big breath.  
  
" Chris, you know I love your sister with all my heart and soul. And I already told you I plan on proposing to her. And you even said it was about time I do. Well, now I am. I'm going to go get an engagement ring on Friday. I want you to come with me so you can help me choose the perfect one."  
  
Chris yawned one more time before nodding. " Leon, you didn't even have to ask. Of course, I'll help you. I know you'll make Claire happy. By the way, who are you going to choose as your best man.?"  
  
Leon grinned. " Carlos. Claire probrally wants you to walk her down the isle." Chris nodded.  
  
" Well that makes sense. Anything else?" Leon looked inside to see Claire sneaking glances at them. Leon smiled a little.  
  
" Yeah, I think Claire's on to me. Can I trust you not to tell Jill?" Chris scoffed. Leon chuckled.  
  
" You can count on me." Chris said before getting up and going inside. Leon stayed out a little longer. He wanted to get some air and just think.  
  
As Chris walked in, he went over to Jill and gave her a kiss goodnight. " I'm going to bed. Night Jill. Night Claire."  
  
" Night Chris." Claire and Jill told him at almost the same time. They watched him leave the kitchen and go up the stairs and finally heard the door close.  
  
" How long do you think this turkey will take?" Claire asked as she sat down in the chair, still sneaking glances to Leon outside. Jill smirked at this.  
  
" Probrably 3 hours, maybe four. Do you want to go outside Claire?' Jill practically laughed out.  
  
Claire looked at Jill funny before breaking into a smile. She should have figured that Jill would catch on to what she was doing.  
  
" Yeah, I think I will. You don't need me right now do you?" Claire asked while walking over to the slide door. Jill shook her head.  
  
" No, take your time." With that she went into the living room to see what the others were doing. Claire smiled to herself before stepping outside.  
  
In the Living Room  
  
" It's about time you two got it right." Rebecca smirked at Carlos and Sherry. The two of them were on the floor exhausted from all of the thinking they were doing just to read the instuctions. After about 45 minutes they finally got it. Sherry sighed in relief.  
  
" Yep, it finally looks like a baby rocker. I hope you guys already put the crib together." Rebecca chuckled at them.  
  
" Leon and Carlos put it together. Now that you're done can you two carry it upstairs for me. I'm going to put Juliana to bed and I think I'm going to turn in too." Carlos and Sherry groaned.  
  
" Just give us 5 minutes." Carlos managed to get out. At that moment Jill walked into the living room.  
  
" And what are you all up to?" She questioned with a smirk on her face. She had heard Sherry's complaining and Carlos' cursing the whole time. Rebecca answered for them.  
  
" Nothing, they were just about to help me bring this upstairs. I'm going to bed. Come on Carlos." Rebecca said in an extra sweet voice.  
  
Sherry groaned as she got up and helped Carlos up. " Come on Carlos. Let's get it over with. I'm going to sleep after this too."  
  
" I might as well too." Carlos said getting up. Jill just laughed.  
  
" Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight Jill." Was the reply from all of them. Jill continued to laugh as she went back into the kitchen.  
  
Back to Leon and Claire  
  
As the slide door opened Leon turned around to see Claire coming out. He smiled and she smiled back.  
  
" Hey, what's on your mind?" Leon asked as Claire came to sit in his lap. He started to stroke her hair. He found out a little while ago that it relaxed her.  
  
" Nothing much. I saw you out here all alone and thought you might want some company." She replied. Leon nodded.  
  
" Yeah, I suspected that. You know, because of all the glances you were throwing at me." Claire's mouth dropped.  
  
" What! You saw me the whole time?" Leon just nodded again. He figured Claire would react that way. She always did.  
  
" Hmm mmm. You were pretty obvious." Claire narrowed her eyes at him and just continued to let Leon comfort her. Even though it was technically Thanksgiving already she still wanted to let Leon just how thankful she was for him.  
  
" Claire, when did you feel like being friends wasn't going to be enough for us?" Leon asked her as he continued to look at the sky. The sound of late nighters in sports cars could be heard faintly around them. Claire stared at him for a second and took in the beautiful sight before her. She knew exactly when she started to fall in love with Leon.  
  
" Those last few days before you left for California. I started thinking about how important you were in my life. And how different it was going to be since Umbrella was gone."  
  
" Yeah, I felt that way too." Leon added. Claire smiled at him a little and continued.  
  
" I remember how bad I treated you after Antarctica. You kept trying to comfort me but I couldn't stop thinking about not saving Steve. He was so young and ignorant. He was still a kid. That made me become even more protective of Sherry."  
  
" You eventually let me in though." Leon said with a grin on his face. Claire smirked.  
  
" Yep, I remember what you said to me. Claire, after Umbrella is finished you can forget all about me and take Sherry somewhere and start your life over. But until then, I'm staying here with you and her and everyone else because I'll be damned if I don't get a piece of Umbrella myself." Claire said in Leon's tone of voice. Leon chuckled.  
  
" And then you slapped me across the face, started crying and hugged me so hard I couldn't breathe. We stayed like that until we fell asleep. And from there we started looking out for each other." Leon concluded. Claire sighed mockingly.  
  
" Like I was saying. That last day before you left, when you were saying goodbye to everyone I thought about everything we had been though and how much I started to care for you. I'd say that was the moment I started to fall in love with you." Leon pulled Claire a little closer to him.  
  
" That's about the same time my feelings started to run a little deeper for you too. Can you believe that was only 2 years ago."  
  
" Nope. But 2 years ago, the last thing on our minds was love." Claire said as she leaned in to kiss him. Leon nodded before letting Claire reach him.  
  
From there they kissed about 5 minutes. They just stayed like that for a while, talking about the times while they were crusading against Umbrella and after. Soon they just stopped talking all together and just enjoyed being in one another's company. Jill was inside looking at the couple the whole time. She smiled at her sister in-law and her boyfriend. She knew those two were meant to be. Somehow she just knew it.  
  
About 2:30 A.M.  
  
Claire and Leon had just come back inside. Jill was turning off the stove and leaving the turkey in there until morning.  
  
" The turkey's done. We can finish the rest tomorrow." Jill informed the couple as she turned to them. Leon and Claire nodded. Jill yawned.  
  
" Well, I'm going to bed. I'll see you two in the morning."  
  
"Night Jill." Claire and Leon told her. Jill told them goodnight too and started to walk up the stairs. Leon and Claire turned off the kitchen light and walked into the living room hand in hand.  
  
They walked in to see Sherry K.Oed in Chris' recliner. She was wrapped comfortably in a bed sheet. Leon turned to Claire, who was kissing Sherry goodnight on the forehead.  
  
" Doesn't this sofa fold out into a bed?" Leon asked. Claire nodded. Leon searched around for a lever before pulling on it and pulling a bed out. Claire went to the closet to get a cover for them.  
  
" I'm going to gain so much weight tomorrow." Leon chuckled as he and Claire got into the bed. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She was turned to him and looking straight at him. She smiled.  
  
" As if you don't need it. Night Leon." Claire said as she rested her head on his chest. Leon sighed before closing his eyes too.  
  
" Night baby."  
  
The aroma of Thanksgiving was present all though the house. Everyone was ready for the day ahead. Leon finally drifted to sleep with a smile on his face. He had a lot to be thankful for.  
  
Author's Note: Hey, I finished. This was really a preparation chapter. I hope it wasn't too boring. You can see Leon's been doing a lot of thinking. Something's up. Well, thanks for all the reviews and I hope to see more from you all. And Chris Redfield Fan, your story is great. Pinguichia, your story is kicking ass too. I hope you update soon. Everyone else, thanks for the support. Until next time. 


	9. Thank Before You Eat

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: And Now we return to Chapter 9 of this light-hearted romance/comedy. There will be drama in this one but I'm not telling you what's going to happen. Anyway, glad to see that this sequel is standing up to its original. Remember I don't own RE stuff cause if I did the series would definitely be more..well, I don't know but here's chapter 9.  
  
Chapter 9- Thank Before You Eat  
  
Juliana's soft but non-stop crying woke Rebecca up from a peaceful sleep. She looked over to see Carlos next to her still sleep with the same tired look he had last night when he went to bed. His arm was wrapped snugly around her waist. Slowly removing it, she got up and walked over to the baby rocker where Juliana was crying. Picking her up, Rebecca started to rock her. Seeing as her rocking wasn't comforting her, Rebecca assumed she was hungry.  
  
" Well, I guess you're hungry." She said outloud as she looked over to the clock. It read 6: 41 A.M. After yawning a bit, she positioned herself to feed Juliana.  
  
About 15 minutes later after she had finished up, there was a knock on the door.  
  
" Hey, Becca it's Jill. Can I come in?" Jill asked though the door. Rebecca noticed that Juliana was starting to cough up so almost instantly she started to burp her gently.  
  
" Yeah, come on in." Slowly Jill opened the door and walked in.  
  
" Morning." Jill said as she went to take a look at Juliana. " Morning." Was Rebecca's similar reply. Jill sat down on the edge of the bed next to Rebecca.  
  
" Anyway, since you're up I was going to ask if you wanted to help me and Claire finish up. We should be ready to eat by 3:30." Jill asked. Rebecca had just finished burping Juliana and was looking at the mess on her shirt and back to her daughter.  
  
" Yeah, I'm coming down. But could you hand me that cloth over there on the dresser." Rebecca said as she pointed to the dresser across the room. Jill got up and brought it to her. She grinned as Rebecca cleaned herself up.  
  
" How does it feel to wake up in the morning with a newborn?" Rebecca rolled her eyes mockingly.  
  
" Oh, it's too much for me to handle." Rebecca chuckled. " Want to hold her?" Jill nodded and Rebecca passed her over to her.  
  
" One of these days Chris is going to get tired of being stuck in the house all day with me and want a kid around here." Jill said out loud. She and Rebecca started laughing.  
  
" But I wouldn't mind. I kinda want to have a kid now. But I'll wait." Rebecca nodded.  
  
" Please wait. I don't think the world is ready for another Chris Redfield yet." Jill looked up from Juliana to her mother.  
  
" But what if she's a girl?" Rebecca grinned at her with laughter pinching her smile.  
  
" Jill." She started plainly. " Imagine a female version of Chris? Could you really spend almost 20 years of your life trying to raise her." Rebecca questioned but laughing at the same time. Jill smiled.  
  
" Why not, I practically raised her father." This made Rebecca laugh even harder. All of the laughing woke Carlos up. He sat up and looked at them sleepily.  
  
" Hey, I'm trying to sleep here. Quiet down." He told them grumpily. Jill and Rebecca both turned to him, stared and replied in unison.  
  
" Shut up, Carlos." Carlos rolled his eyes, sighed, and slammed the pillow over his head.  
  
" Well, I guess it's time to go now." Jill said as she started to stand up and walk out, Juliana in her arms. Rebecca followed.  
  
" Yeah, let's go. Carlos, baby?" Rebecca called to him as she turned around. Carlos grunted.  
  
" Yes, Becca?" he asked in an irritated tone. Rebecca just smiled at him. It seemed that Juliana kept him awake all night.  
  
" Thanks for tending to your daughter last night." Carlos only grunted again. Rebecca knew that was his way of saying your welcome. Giving him one last look she shut the door and followed Jill downstairs.  
  
Rebecca came downstairs to see Jill tapping Claire on the shoulder trying to wake her up. Rebecca walked over to her.  
  
" Claire?" Jill asked in a low voice. She didn't want to wake Leon up and go through another Carlos episode. Sherry however, did begin to stir and wake up. Sherry opened up her eyes and rubbed them. She noticed Jill and Rebecca standing over by Claire and Leon. Juliana was in Jill's arms.  
  
" Morning Becca and Jill. What are you two doing?" Sherry asked as she got up from the chair and walked over to them. Rebecca smiled.  
  
" We're trying to pry Claire from Leon's clutches so she help us finish up. Wanna help?" Rebecca asked.  
  
" Sure, I'm up." Sherry replied as she straightened out her hair. It was a mess.  
  
Jill finally got Claire to wake up. Claire started looking around to see where she was and by the look on her face she seemed like she remembered. Slowly she looked to Jill, Becca, and Sherry.  
  
" I guess it's morning now." Claire said still trying to wake up completely. Jill nodded.  
  
" Yeah, come on and get up so we can finish cooking and preparing. The faster we do that the faster we can get cleaned up and eat." Claire turned over to see Leon out cold next to her. He was holding on to her like a little boy holding on to his toys. Protectively.  
  
" All right I'm coming" Claire told them as she slowly slid out from Leon's grasp. Jill and Rebecca nodded and started to walk into the kitchen. Sherry waited on Claire.  
  
" Happy Thanksgiving Claire. I have plenty of reasons to be thankful for you." Sherry said as Claire sat up. Claire smiled.  
  
" Thank you Sherry. We all have a lot to be thankful for." Claire told her as she stood up and hugged her. After noticed a little movement from Leon, Claire silently motioned for Sherry to head for the kitchen.  
  
In the Kitchen  
  
"Okay, Turkey's done, rice is done, pies are done, muffins are done all that's left is really the vegetables and the tea." Jill acknowledged to everyone. Sherry took a seat at the breakfast bar and Jill handed Juliana over to her.  
  
" Sherry, you can hold her till Carlos gets up. Then you can help us all right?' Sherry just nodded as Jill place Juliana in her arms. Sherry adjusted the way she was sitting so she could be more comfortable.  
  
Rebecca was getting out all of the pots, pans, and utensils they would need and Claire was rummaging through the refrigerator pulling things out.  
  
" Hey Jill, where did you put that cheese you cut up last night for the macaroni?" Jill turned away from the gravy bowl she was beginning the make the gravy in. She walked over and peeked inside. Claire looked to see her calm face no longer calm but pissed. Claire looked inside to see almost half of the cheese Jill had cut up gone. Most likely eaten. Claire smirked. She only knew one person that had a habit of eating cut slices of cheese.  
  
" Chris! That damn brother of yours ate my cheese, Claire!" Jill spat out. Rebecca tossed a glance over to her and smirked before returning to her task. Sherry started laughing as she played with Juliana's fingers. Claire just smiled at the look on Jill's face.  
  
" Chris is in for a rude awakening when he gets up isn't he?" Claire said closing the refrigerator door. Anyone could see a grin was evident on her face. Jill's face remained unchanged.  
  
" Damn right." Jill said somewhat harshly. The other girls just continued on with what they were doing before with huge grins on their faces.  
  
A Few Hours Later  
  
Chris woke up to the smell of food cooking downstairs. He smiled like a fool. Stretching out his arms and legs he noticed that Jill wasn't the bed with him. Feeling like he was missing something he automatically called out her name but then he remember she was downstairs finishing up. He sighed. After yawning and scratching the top of his head for a bit, Chris got up and went downstairs.  
  
On the way out Carlos was coming out of the room looking similar to him. Tired. Hungry. And Confused.  
  
" Morning." Chris said still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. " Morning." Carlos said in a similar gesture. Then by some uncanny force they both stretched their arms out and yawned at the same time. Calos and Chris stared at each other and wondered what the hell just happened.  
  
" Whoa." Carlos said before turning to the stairs. Chris followed. " Yeah, whoa indeed."  
  
As they came downstairs, they came to see Leon waking up as well. His hair was mess and he looked like hell. But that's what sleep does to you. Chris and Carlos chuckled.  
  
" I see spending time with my sister in the late hours of the night has taken its toll on you huh Leon?" Chris joked. Carlos smirked. He was going to say something but he figured that Leon and Chris would probrably jump him so he decided to shut up. Leon groaned.  
  
" Man, what time is it?" Chris looked at the clock on the wall. " It's 11:54" Leon looked surprised.  
  
" Damn, we were asleep for that long?" Chris just nodded. With that Chris, Carlos, and Leon all went into the kitchen in search of their female counterparts.  
  
In the Kitchen  
  
" Morning ladies." Chris greeted as he walked into the kitchen. Rebecca and Claire greeted him good morning but a grin was stuck to their faces. Carlos and Leon walked over to their ladies. Sherry was still at the breakfast bar. She had Juliana sitting up on it and was playing with her. Sherry chuckled at how big Juliana's eyes got when she made faces at her. She noticed the others come in.  
  
" Morning you guys." Chris, Carlos , and Leon acknowledged her greeting.  
  
" Chris!" Chris whirled his head to see Jill standing behind him with her hand on her hips. He gulped a bit.  
  
'Oh no, what did I do now?' He thought. Jill walked up to him and stared him straight in the eye.  
  
" Why did you go and eat all of that cheese? Because of you I had to go and find a store that was open today. Luckily I did. How were we supposed to have macaroni and cheese if we didn't have any damn cheese." Jill lashed out at him. The others just stood silent knowing interrupting Jill was suicidal. Especially on special occasions. Chris looked down and then back at her.  
  
" Sorry Jill. I only meant to get a few pieces but I got carried away. I would've went and got some more." Jill saw the puppy dog look in his eyes and suddenly she wasn't so mad anymore. She knew from the beginning what kind of man Chris was. A caring, loving, protective, and absent-minded man. She kept her annoyed face on but embraced him.  
  
" I forgive you. Just don't do it again." With that she kissed him. Chris nodded into the kiss and complied. Everyone else just smiled at the two. Until Juliana's sudden crying interrupted the two. Jill and Chris grinned.  
  
" I guess she wants me to finish up now." Jill chuckled. " Probrably." Sherry said while trying to calm Juliana down.  
  
Finally At Dinner Time  
  
While the men had set up the table, the women were getting the food ready. Carlos was coming down with Juliana's rocker so she could sit in it while they ate. Rebecca noticed the camera Jill had gotten for them was still by the table.  
  
" Carlos, this would be a great time to record. The camera's over there." She told him as she pointed over to it. Carlos looked and nodded. He had just finished setting the baby rocker up and was taking Juliana from Sherry. Sherry went to help Claire and Jill. Carlos smiled as Juliana looked up to him with her big hazel eyes. He couldn't help but muse over something he helped make. He placed her in the baby rocker.  
  
While Chris and Leon were setting the food on the table and arranging the plates, the girls were fixing the cups of tea. Carlos was recording everything on the camera. He started off recording his daughter and Rebecca. Then he moved around to everyone else and then to the food. He then got to the desserts.  
  
" And now we come to a delicious Cherry Pie prepared by none other than, shhhh get this, Claire Redfield." Carlos whispered into the camera's microphone. Carlos turned to see Claire glaring at him.  
  
" Carlos put down that camera and help us" Claire scolded.  
  
" We will continue this after dinner. Goodnight." Carlos said in a documentary host type of voice. Jill sighed at him.  
  
" Carlos, for the love of God will you shut that thing off?" Jill pleaded. Carlos grinned before turning it off.  
  
" That looks like everything." Leon said as he overlooked the table. Everyone else agreed and sat down. Chris sat by Jill who sat by Carlos who sat by Rebecca who sat by Sherry who sat by Leon who sat by Claire who sat by Chris. Juliana was in her rocking chair slowly but surely going to sleep.  
  
After blessing the food and everyone telling what they were thankful for everyone started to eat. This was the first dinner any of them could remember that they didn't have an argument. Maybe because it was Thanksgiving. Besides, as survivors of perhaps the biggest world crisis in history they had more to thankful for than most people. Jill asked if everyone could quiet down for a second. She had something she wanted to say.  
  
" You all know how I feel about us keeping in touch. Especially since we took out Umbrella. And we have. I'm just thankful for that. Sherry stays in constant contact with us. Carlos and Rebecca are about to get married for goodness sake. And Leon even came back home to be with Claire." Jill started smiling. " Anyway, I just wanted you all to know I am thankful that we can share moment like these." All around the table, everyone started smiling back at Jill and Chris even reached for her hand under the table. Sherry decided to keep Jill from crying so she brought up some funny moments.  
  
" Remember Carlos and the fat lady?" Carlos sighed. " Oh no."  
  
After dinner, everyone just decided to sit in the living room and talk. They talked about the Bahamas, the Umbrella Party, and just all of the good times they had. And Chris and Jill's wedding.  
  
" You know, that had to be the funniest wedding I've ever been to." Rebecca said while holding Juliana. She was sleeping. Carlos had an arm around Rebecca. Leon chuckled.  
  
" Barry's red suit. He looked like a yeti." That got a laugh out of  
everybody.  
  
" Or when you Sherry caught the bouquet and Rebecca fell cause she missed." Claire added. Sherry looked over to Becca and smiled sheepishly. Rebecca smirked.  
  
" I just jumped too far." Rebecca tried to reason. Claire just laughed again. Jill looked at the group and then to Chris.  
  
" Atleast we got away from them a few days on that honeymoon." Jill whispered to Chris. Chris' calm demeanor went into a broad boyish smile.  
  
" Honeymoon, yes." He spoke outloud. Jill caught on to what he was thinking and blushed. " Chris you pervert." Jill slapped him lightly. Chris just grinned harder.  
  
After reminiscing for another few hours, Leon, Claire, Carlos, Rebecca, and Sherry decided it was time to go. They went to clean up their sleeping areas and get everything of theirs together. It was about 9:00 when they were ready to leave.  
  
" Hey you guys let's go!" Claire called from the front door with Juliana in her arms. Rebecca was carrying everyone's leftovers to the car with Leon helping her. Carlos and Rebecca were packing the baby rocker and everyone's things in the back trunk. Chris and Jill were standing with Claire.  
  
" Don't you have a feeling of deja` vu?' Chris wondered out loud. Jill chuckled at him.  
  
" Well, we did just have them over for dinner 3 days ago." Chris nodded with realization.  
  
" Oh." Claire laughed at her brother's slow comprehension response. Switching Juliana over to her strong arm, Claire used her other arm to hug Chris and Jill.  
  
" Most likely I'll see you two tomorrow. But if not, bye." Claire said as she hugged them. Jill and Chris returned it.  
  
" What's the next big thing planned for us?" Claire asked as she walked down the steps. Jill thought for a second.  
  
" Carlos and Becca's wedding. They're getting hitched on New Year's Eve." Claire smiled at them one last time and waved. As she got into the front seat, Chris and Jill waved back. Leon beeped the horn before pulling out and driving them all home.  
  
" Chris, come on inside." Jill told him with a sly grin. Chris, not being the one to refuse such an offer shut the door and followed Jill upstairs. As Jill opened the door to their room Chris wrapped his arms around her from behind and started kissing her neck. Jill moaned.  
  
" You sure are anxious aren't you?" Chris joked. Jill smiled.  
  
" Shut up. Happy Thanksgiving Chris." Chris turned Jill around and carried her over to the bed kissing her as he laid her down. Pulling away he looked her in the eye.  
  
" Happy Thanksgiving to you too Jilly." From there they continued to show just how thankful they were for each other.  
  
Author's Note: There goes perhaps the longest chapter I've ever written. I think it came out pretty good but there's only one way to be sure. So could you please draw your attention to the GO button on the lower left hand corner of the screen. Thanks again for everyone that reviewed and supported the story. Now I have to think of Chapter 10. Alrighty Then. 


	10. A Step Closer

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: My summer sucks. No not really but I hope it gets better. Well atleast I'm getting paid. It's been a little while but here's chapter 10 for this story. Enjoy.  
  
P.S: It's been a while but if you don't get it by now, maybe you need to see a doctor. I don't own RE at all. Got it? Good.  
  
Chapter 10- A Step Closer  
  
Leon's eyes shot open as the alarm clock let off an annoying buzz signaling him to get up. He had a lot to do today and needed all day to do it. Pulling the clock over to him he saw it was 8:20. Placing it back on the dresser he laid his eyes on Claire. It had been months and he still couldn't quite believe he was actually with her. She had her head draped across his chest and was slowly waking up. She yawned a little before looking at Leon.  
  
" Morning, Leon." Claire told him as she rubbed her eyes. Leon gave her a smile as he noticed the sunlight from outside radiating her already uncanny face. Beautiful was the least descriptive word in the book when talking about Claire. As Claire sat up Leon kissed her on the forehead.  
  
" Morning to you too Claire. You got anything planned today?" He asked as he pulled Claire over to him. Claire just shook her head.  
  
' Not really. Why? Do You?" Claire asked.  
  
" Uh, well me, and Carlos are gonna drag your brother to the gym with us. I guess me, you, and Sherry can catch a movie later on."  
  
" All right we can do that. Thanksgiving sure was good yesterday wasn't it Leon?" Claire replied as Leon started to kiss her neck. She tried to hold back a laugh but failed.  
  
" Leon! Listen to me." Leon stopped and grinned at her. ' I am listening baby. Keep talking." After pausing he resumed again. Claire just giggled and continued.  
  
" I was thinking. Maybe we should all plan another vacation. We could visit the Bahamas again or maybe go to Italy or something." Claire said. She was just talking about whatever to see if Leon was really listening. Leon jerked his head up.  
  
" Italy? What the hell is in Italy except for a bunch of dead Renaissance guys?" Leon questioned. Claire grinned before kissing him.  
  
" Pizza." She told him leaving Leon confused and stupefied. He turned to her.  
  
" Pizza?" Claire just smiled and kissed him again. This time more forcefully. Leon banged his head against the headboard causing him to curse.  
  
" Damn, not again." Claire shut him up by kissing him more hungrily and Leon couldn't help but satisfy her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down to the bed and pulled the covers over them.  
  
In the other room  
  
Sherry was awakened by the sound of something hitting the wall. Having a pretty good idea of who it was and what they were doing, she groaned and pulled two pillows over her head. But it was no use. It sounded like Leon and Claire were wrestling. But for some reason they weren't as bad as usual. She couldn't hear them moaning. Sighing in relief a little and attempting to go back to sleep Sherry grinned at the thought of her two friends.  
  
" Well, at least this time their not having sex." She said to herself as she fell back asleep with the same grin on her face.  
  
An Hour Later  
  
Yawning as she sat up, Sherry rubbed her eyes and stared at herself in the mirror across the room from her. Her hair was tossed every which a way and it looked like she had seen better days. She was jolted from her thoughts by the scent of bacon and eggs. Almost automatically she started to get out of bed. Opening the door, she looked down the hall to see that neither Claire nor Leon were in their room. She walked down the hall, through the living room, and into the kitchen.  
  
Claire and Leon were both sitting at the table eating breakfast. Leon was reading some newspaper article and Claire was reading the comics. As Sherry looked closer to them she could see Claire smirk. Leon smiled a bit. Sherry already knew what the two were up to.  
  
"Leon, you should really put some ice on that before it swells." Sherry joked as she touched the back of Leon's head where she assumed he hit the headboard. Claire chuckled. Sherry turned to her.  
  
' Claire, wipe that grin off of your face." Claire just smiled harder and sat the paper she was reading on the table.  
  
" Really Sherry, is joking with our love life the only thing you get pleasure from?" Claire asked amused. Leon put his paper down to see what Sherry would say.  
  
Fixing her plate and sitting down next to Leon, Sherry chuckled. " No. Adam is a hell of a kisser. See, first her rubs me all over my back and then he caresses me all the way down til he grabs my butt.." Claire was aghast and Leon was laughing his ass off. Sherry was going into way too much detail. She continued.  
  
" And then when he catches me off guard he kisses me in this real real sexy kind of way where he sort of pulls on my lip. Mmm Mmm. So no, making fun of you two's sex life isn't my only source of pleasure." Sherry concluded plainly. The grin on her face was clear as day. Leon couldn't stop laughing at Claire expression. She looked like a deer looking into a pair of headlight. Clueless and dumbfounded.  
  
" That was way too much information Sherry." Claire said at last before laughing. Sherry smiled back at her. Leon just nodded before looking at his watch.  
  
" Well, ladies gotta go. Me and the village idiot gotta go get Chris and pump some iron." Leon imitated his best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice. With that he went to the room and grabbed his stuff. Claire followed him to the door while Sherry continued to eat.  
  
" Bye Leon." Sherry called after him. " Bye Sherry" He yelled back from the front.  
  
Claire was standing in front of him. Leon looked down at her questioning glare.  
  
" See you when I get back Claire. We should be back before four. I'm sure you and Sherry can find something to do." Claire walked up to him as he wrapped his arms around her frame.  
  
" Believe me, I'm making good use of this break before the start of the semester. Love you."  
  
" Love you too." Leon told her before kissing her. Slowly he began to move his hands downward in the way Sherry had described Adam early. Claire tensed up but relax. She started to giggle but Leon kissed her harder. Last but not least he squeezed her butt causing her to jump a little. Softening the kiss and returning his hand to her hair he pulled away and ran his fingers through her hair. He smiled as Claire giggled.  
  
" I see Adam's taught you a couple of things." Claire joked. Leon smiled before stepping out of the door.  
  
" Well, you could say that." Leon said to her still smiling as he started down the stairs to Carlos and Rebecca's apartment.  
  
Knock Knock  
  
Rebecca looked at the door and sighed. She had been awake since 4:00 that morning because of Juliaana and everything made her head hurt. Door knocks included. Sighing, she got up and went to open the door. Juliana in tow.  
  
" Who is it?" Rebecca asked through the door. Her hair was tangled everywhere because she didn't bother to straighten it out. Juliana was just beginning to fall asleep.  
  
" Leon." Soon Rebecca opened the door to see Leon in a white t-shirt and navy blue pants. His gym bag was strapped across his shoulder. Rebecca sighed.  
  
" Hey Leon, Carlos is almost ready." Leon's smile fell a little as he looked at Becca's tired form.  
  
" Becca, you look like hell." Leon said as he sat down on the couch. Rebecca joined him.  
  
" And I feel like it too. I can't wait until she's a year old. Atleast she won't be as noisy." Leon patted her on the back.  
  
" You'll be all right. Hey, why don't take Juliana upstairs with Claire and Sherry. They don't have anything to do either. And they'll watch over her while you sleep." Rebecca looked at him and smiled.  
  
" Sleep is something I could definitely use right now. Thanks Leon."  
  
" Don't mention it." With that Rebecca went into the kitchen to call Claire. Moments later Carlos came out from his room dressed and ready to go. He clasped hand with Leon.  
  
" What's up Leon? Ready to get big?" Leon got up from the couch and followed him to the door.  
  
" Let's do this." Leon countered. Carlos grinned. Rebecca was just coming out of the kitchen.  
  
" Carlos, I'm going to take Juliana upstairs so I can get some sleep. Love you." Rebecca said as she walked up to him and gave him a kiss.  
  
" Love you too Becca." Carlos returned and gave Rebecca and Juliana a kiss on the forehead.  
  
" We shouldn't be gone too long." Leon told Becca as they walked out.  
  
It only took about 10 minutes to get to Chris' house from the apartments so they made it there in no time. It just seemed long to Leon because he knew after today there was no turning back. And Carlos' wisecracks about the whole situation weren't helping. Finally, they had arrived. The two men got out of the car and made their way up the steps. Carlos rung the doorbell.  
  
Seconds later they heard someone coming down the stairs and look through the peephole.  
  
" It's Leon and Carlos." Leon told whoever it was through the door. Slowly the door opened. Chris stuck his head out. He was eating a turkey sandwich. It looked like he was using the Thanksgiving leftovers wisely.  
  
" Come on in." Chris said as he moved to let them inside. Leon and Carlos eyed him as they walked in.  
  
As the two of them went to sit on the couch, Chris ran back upstairs to finsih getting dressed. Leon and Carlos looked at each other and shrugged.  
  
" Predator?" Carlos suggested. Leon nodded. "Predator it is." With that, Leon put the tape in and they continued from where they left off a few days ago.  
  
As the Predator was beginning to kill off people, Jill walked down the stairs with a weird smile on her face. She was on the way to the kitchen when she noticed Leon and Carlos.  
  
" How are you two?" She asked.  
  
" Fine." Leon replied. Carlos looked at Jill's expression and remembered how she walked down the stairs. Like she didn't have a care in the world. He grinned.  
  
" Now I see why you and Chris kicked us out so fast last night Jill?' She smiled.  
  
" Oh what great insight you have Carlos." Jill joked as she walked into the kitchen.  
  
5 minutes later Chris finally came down dressed and ready to go. He had his gym bag in hand.  
  
" Okay, let's get to it. Jilly, we're leaving." Chris yelled into the kitchen. Jill walked out with a bagel and orange juice in hand. She set them on the table.  
  
" We'll be outside, Chris. Bye Jill." Leon said to Chris as he and Carlos headed to the car. Jill waved and turned back to Chris.  
  
" I might not be here when you get home. I gotta go run a few errands. The light bill is due as well as the phone. You want me to go ahead and pay your half of the bills too?" She asked.  
  
" Yeah go ahead. Here take my card and everything you need to get money out of my account. I call you on your cell if I need you. Love you." Chris told her.  
  
" Love you too." Jill replied back as they both leaned in closer to kiss. Chris dropped the bag he was holding and wrapped his arms around her to bring her closer. Jill could her Carlos's guffaw from the car.  
  
" What the hell. Chris man come on. You'll be back. Geez." Leon agreed.  
  
" Yeah, it's not like your being drafted." Chris gave both of them the finger and then he finally pulled away. " Bye Jill." Jill smiled and waved back.  
  
As soon as Chris got inside the car he whacked Carlos and Leon in the head one at a time. Jill laughed as she saw Carlos wincing beside in the backseat and Chris sitting on the passenger side smiling as Leon pulled off rubbing the back of his head.  
  
At the Jewelry Store (A very expensive one I might add)  
  
" Hmm, this one looks like it's a keeper." Leon told Chris as he held up the engagment ring. It was lined with small diamonds and had a blood red ruby in the middle. Chris nodded and smiled.  
  
" I see you've noticed Claire's favorite color is red. Glad to see you've taken that into consideration." Leon chuckled.  
  
" Yeah, well. What do you think Carlos?" Leon asked as he turned around only to see Carlos had purchased something himself.  
  
" Carlos, what did you get?" Chris asked. Leon too was curious. Carlos pulled two very real diamond wedding rings from the bag. Plus a exuberant necklace just because."  
  
" You went into the savings to get all of that?" Leon asked a little ticked off. They all had agreed they wouldn't use the compensation money from Umbrella unless everyone was aware of it.  
  
" Hell no! I've been saving up money since I found out Becca was pregnant. I just happened to propose to her over the summer." Leon nodded.  
  
" Whatever. Let me go pay for this stuff so we can lift some weights." Leon said as he looked at the clock. It was already 12:00. With that, Leon, Chris, and Carlos walked up to the register and paid for the rings. It was safe to say that Leon had pretty much maxed out his credit card. But it was worth it.  
  
Chris decided he'd drive to the gym so this left Carlos and Leon the opportunity to talk shit to each other on their way there. Leon and Carlos' rivalry hadn't ceased to end since the Bahamas.  
  
" Carlos, Becca can do more squats than your sorry ass." Leon shot at Carlos who shot him a pissed off look.  
  
" Hey, Claire knocked your ass out in the boxing ring so that doesn't make you much better." He shot back. Leon rose his eyebrow.  
  
" Hey, Chris is the one who said he wouldn't dare step into the ring with Jill. Maybe he's the pussy." Carlos tried. Chris gave him a look in the rear view that read ' Do you really wanna die?' Carlos chuckled nervously and Chris focused back on the road. Leon smiled.  
  
" This is going to be a long long day." Chris cut his eyes before sighing.  
  
" For once, Leon, you're actually right." Leon smiled. But Chris' frown curled into a smile.  
  
" So shut the hell up." Leon cocked his head. Carlos burst out laughing. And it continued that way all the way to the gym. It was just another boys day out. Leon couldn't help but enjoy it because he and Carlos were on their way to becoming old guys just like Chris. He couldn't wait.  
  
Author's Note: Yeah! I finally finished. First off, I gotta thank you all just because you're awesome. Your reviews and feedback keep me wanting to write. As you can see, this is really a preparation chapter. To what. Who knows. Keep reading and reviewing to find out. Oh yeah. I recommend that you read How Soon Is Now? by Leyla. It's her first RE fic and it's real good. Well, you know how it is. Until next time. 


	11. Should I Do It?

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Yep, I'm back. After a very hectic week I'm back. My mom just got out of surgery yesterday and I haven't written in a few days. And she's taking out all of her stress out on poor little old me. I think it's the medications. Whatever. Here's Chapter 11.  
  
Chapter 11- Should I Do It?  
  
It was about 4:20 when Leon and Carlos pulled up to parking lot in the apartment complex. After working out for a couple of hours, they went back to Chris' house to hang out for a little bit. Jill was still out running errands so they discussed Leon's plan of action.  
  
Turning the car off Leon let his head fall into the steering wheel. Carlos rose an eye.  
  
" What's with you man?" Carlos asked as he prepared to get his thing out of the back seat. Leon lifted his head up a little. He looked like he was deep in thought.  
  
" Don't you realized that tonight could change the rest of my life?" Leon told him as looked straight ahead but not really looking at anything. Carlos smirked.  
  
" Um yeah, remember me and Becca are getting hitched on New Year's" Leon looked at him with an apologetic expression.  
  
" I'm sorry dude. It's just that I'm ready but I'm not sure if Claire is. I don't want to push her into doing anything you know."  
  
" Yeah, I know. Just go ahead and try. Who knows? She might be waiting on you." Carlos offered before stepping out of the car and heading up the stair. Leon pulled the ring box from the bag and smiled.  
  
Ever since that night in Raccoon his life had changed. In some ways for the worst, in some ways for the better. Meeting Claire and Sherry was perhaps one of the best things that could have ever happened in his life. Leon sat back remembering how he and Claire started of as survivors and became friends. After reuniting they became best friends and after the Bahamas they became lovers. So much had happened since that time and it was mostly for the better. Closing the box, Leon slid the ring in his pocket and followed Carlos up the stairs.  
  
Carlos was waiting at the door when Leon arrived. Leon dropped his bags and fumbled for his keys in his pocket.  
  
" Why are here instead of at your place?" Leon asked. Carlos scratched his head.  
  
" I knocked and no one came to the door. So I assumed Becca was still up here. And besides, I left my keys in the house." Carlos added.  
  
" Dumbass." Leon said as he turned the keys. Carlos laughed dryly. " Ha Ha."  
  
Opening the door, the two men walked in to see Sherry laying on the sofa with her legs perched on the arm of the chair. She had Juliana resting on her stomach. They were both watching t.v. Sherry rose up to look and see Leon and Carlos walking towards her.  
  
" Hey you two. It took you two long enough." Sherry joked. Leon chuckled and went towards the back to put his stuff up. Carlos took a seat on the sofa next to Sherry. He reached over and picked Juliana up.  
  
" What are you staring at huh?" Carlos joked as he looked Juliana straight in the eyes and rubbed his nose against her. She made a cooing sound.  
  
" You gonna be a knock out when you get older. Just like me." Carlos told her as sat her in his lap but she started kicking and kicked him in the stomach."  
  
" Ummph. You sure are a knock out. Just like your mother." Carlos said as he managed to calm her down. Sherry just rolled her eyes and laughed.  
  
In the Kitchen  
  
Claire and Rebecca were sitting at the breakfast bar eating some left over Cherry Pie from Thanksgiving. Rebecca almost fell into her slice a few times. She was still exhausted.  
  
" Rebecca. Do you need some more sleep?" Claire chuckled. Rebecca just rubbed her eyes and groaned.  
  
" And Carlos the Great returns. With Princess Juliana." Carlos practically yelled as he walked into the kitchen. Claire smirked as she got up to put her plate in the sink.  
  
" It's the return of the village idiot. And Princess Juliana is escorting him." Claire shot back. Carlos narrowed his eyes at her.  
  
" Are you okay, Rebecca?" Carlos asked as he laid his eyes on her. She was dead tired and it showed.  
  
" Yeah, I'm just trying to wake up. You did everything you needed to do today?" She asked.  
  
" Yeah. Come on and I'll run you a bath. You look like you need to relax." Carlos offered. Claire tilted her head in confusion. Carlos was being sentimental. Claire voiced her thoughts.  
  
" What the hell? Carlos is being caring and affectionate. Has he given up his playboy ways for good?" Just then Leon walked in and answered.  
  
" Yes, he has. Mr. Oliviera is a changed man." Carlos grinned in agreement. Claire nodded and smiled as she gave Leon a kiss which he didn't object to. She noticed that he smelled like the gym and slowly pulled away.  
  
" Leon baby, the shower is calling you. Carlos you too." Claire told them. Leon nodded.  
  
' Okay, I get it. Claire you want to go out tonight? Just me and you. Or do you still want to catch a movie with Sherry." Leon asked while looking at Carlos and Rebecca. The two of them were getting up and leaving. They waved. Carlos nodded for Leon to go through with it as he left.  
  
" You had any place in mind?" Claire asked.  
  
" No, not really, I just wanted to spend time with you alone that's all. I'm sure Sherry really doesn't care."  
  
After looking at her watch and to Sherry who was watching t.v. Claire agreed.  
  
" Fine, but I need to get dressed. So go ahead and take your shower." Claire told him. Leon smiled.  
  
" Why don't we both just take a shower?" Claire opened her mouth to say something back to him but instead just wrapped her arms around his neck and grabbed his ear. Leon winced.  
  
" You are very cheeky Mr. Kennedy. But I love that about you." Leon kissed her cheek and brushed his lips against her ear causing Claire to shiver in delight.  
  
" I know." He replied in a sensual tenor voice. Claire could feel her insides flip.  
  
" Let's go ahead and take that shower." Leon didn't waste any time and picked Claire up carrying her to their room.  
  
30 minutes later  
  
Leon and Sherry were at war yet again. This time the battle took place on the artificial waters of the Battleship game board. As usual Leon was suffering from a great loss of men.  
  
" C9." Sherry called. Leon looked around and sighed in relief. He put down a marker.  
  
" Nope, it's a miss." Sherry looked at her board and back to him.  
  
" You do know that one more hit and your tanker's sunk right? I wouldn't get happy just yet." Leon looked down to see his tanker was in fact his last piece and one more hit would end the game. Sherry smiled at Leon signaling the end of the game.  
  
" D2." Sherry called. Leon looked down to see that d2 was the end of his tanker. He let his head hit the table and groaned.  
  
" You sunk my battleship." Sherry jumped up and jumped around in joy.  
  
" I win I win." She said as she pranced around the living room. Leon just grunted.  
  
" I used to always win when I was a kid." Leon told himself. Sherry walked over to him and hugged him while standing up.  
  
" Oh Leon, you'll beat me one day. In something. Didn't you get that Street Fighter EX3 for your PS2?" She asked. Leon nodded.  
  
" We can play that later. Oh, speaking of the Playstation, can I take yours down to Becca's. Carlos wants to play Final Fantasy X?"  
  
" I don't care. Just make sure you don't leave anything. You know how Becca is. If anything isn't hers or Carlos' it's garbage." Leon chuckled. Sherry grinned with him. Just then Claire walked out dressed in the same outfit she wore to the Bahamas. She still looked fine as hell to Leon though.  
  
" Okay, let's roll." Claire told the two of them as she headed to the door. Sherry packed Leon's PS2 and his games into a duffel bag and slung the bag around her shoulder.  
  
" It's good to see you two haven't had too many problems. I've wanted to see you two together like forever." Claire smiled and looked at Leon who was nodding.  
  
" Well, we'll try. Come on Claire." Leon said. Sherry followed and started down the stairs.  
  
" See you two later." She called. Leon and Claire waved and walked to the car.  
  
Leon knew that he wanted tonight to go by perfect. So he decided to make it as normal as possible. He tried to make it seem like a regular date. Claire didn't notice anything different so he was relieved. The two of them went to dinner at Chili's and talked about Sherry, Claire's interest in motorcycles and why Leon never cut his hair. The answer to that questions got a good laugh out of Claire. After dinner, Leon drove to the park.  
  
" When was the last time you went to a playground?" Leon asked Claire as they walked along the path. It circled around the whole park so they had been talking for a while.  
  
" I don't know. Maybe when I was 13. Why?" Claire asked with a smirk. Leon pointed over to the playground to the left of them. There was no one there being that it was going on 7:00 at night and it's almost December. It's frigging cold outside. Leon and Claire both had brought jackets though.  
  
" Let's go." Leon suggested. Claire eyed him. "Huh? It's too cold." Leon pulled her to him and started to rub her arms up and down to warm her up.  
  
" Come on. For me." He pleaded. Claire grinned and nodded. " All right." With that they walked over to the swings.  
  
" Don't you dare push me?" Claire warned him as she sat down. Leon chuckled. " Why?" Claire leaned back against him.  
  
" Bad experience. That's all you need to know." Leon nodded.  
  
" Okay, how about if I rock you?" He asked.  
  
" I don't mind that. Just don't push. I think I've forgotten how to swing." Claire said laughing. Leon laughed with her. He sat down on the swing next to her and put his hands in his the pocket of his leather jacket. He could feel the box in his hand. He knew what he had to do. He reached over for Claire's hand. She looked up at him confused.  
  
" What is it?" She asked, all of her attention focused on him now. He smiled, taking in all of her beauty, the aurora she was radiating. It fascinated him.  
  
" Claire, remember that night in the Bahamas when your brother proposed to Jill?" Claire thought back and smiled at the memory.  
  
" Yeah, I do. What about it?" She asked, hinting for him to continue.  
  
" Remember what we talked about when we got back to the hotel." Claire nodded. She remembered.  
  
" How Jill was going to become part of our family?" Claire said with realization growing. She had a pretty good idea what Leon was after. Leon nodded.  
  
" Claire, I love you. Even though we started off just two people in the wrong place I believe it was the right time. Umbrella believe or not brought us together. And Sherry did in fact bring us closer." Leon paused for a moment. He could see the tears well up in Claire's eyes. He wiped them away and smiled.  
  
" Me and Sherry were so worried for you when you went to find Chris and even more when you came back. You seemed so hurt and protective of Sherry. At first, you didn't even want to see me. Remember?" Claire nodded.  
  
" But eventually we reconciled and learned more each other as we fought Umbrella and from there our friendship grew and grew until I moved. That's where I finally realized I was in love with you. And when we were in the photo booth on the way to the Bahamas I realized I loved you. Claire, trust me when I say that you're the only woman I want and need in my life. Baby, will you marry me?"  
  
Claire gasped and lost her breath for a second. " Oh shit." She coughed out. Leon just chuckled and patted her on the back to give her time. She looked back at him and smiled.  
  
" Yes." Claire said as she hugged him. Leon kissed her as he slid the ring on her finger.  
  
" I kinda figured you say that." Leon told her as they stood up together. Claire chuckled and reached for his hand. " Then why did you ask?" She joked. Leon grinned. " I love you Claire. Don't ever forget that."  
  
" I love you too dumbass." Claire told him as she kissed him. They walked in silence back to the car. Claire had been dreaming of this moment since the Bahamas and Leon couldn't feel any greater than he did right now.  
  
It was going on 8:20 when they got back. They had stopped for some ice cream. Walking up the steps Claire adjusted her ring to where it would show. Leon smiled at her she smiled back.  
  
Knock Knock  
  
" Who is it?" Carlos asked through the door. " Claire and Leon." Claire called back. Slowly Carlos opened the door.  
  
" Hurry up, I'm trying to beat Seymour." Carlos complained. Sherry looked over the sofa to see Leon and Claire.  
  
" You two had fun?" Sherry asked. Claire nodded. She came to sit down next to her. Leon followed.  
  
" Carlos, you have to use Yuna if you want to beat him. His multi-element spells will keep killing you." Leon advised. Carlos nodded and was about to turn back to the game when he noticed Claire's finger. He laughed. Sherry eyed him.  
  
"What's so funny?" She asked as she looked to Claire. Only to see the engagement ring on her finger. Sherry gasped.  
  
" Oh my God you two are..." Sherry started but Claire only smiled and nodded.  
  
" Yay!!!!!!!!!" Sherry yelled as she jumped up and hugged Claire. Leon just looked to Carlos. He nodded and clasped hands with him.  
  
" How you feel man?" Carlos asked. Leon sat back and put his arm around Claire.  
  
" Just great." At that moment, Rebecca came from the back room with Juliana in hand.  
  
" What in the Hell is... No, Claire. Is that an engagement.." She couldn't even finish her sentences. She just looked at Claire and then to Leon and then handed Juliana to Carlos and ran over to hug Claire.  
  
" It's about damn time Leon." She told him. Leon just laughed. Sherry went over to hug him too.  
  
" I'm so happy for you two." Leon nodded.  
  
" Yeah, me too." Rebecca reached for the cordless phone. " We gotta tell Chris and Jill." Carlos reached over and shook his head.  
  
" Not yet, Becca. I want to see they look on their faces tomorrow." Rebecca grinned and hung it up. Soon the sound of Seymour's spells were being heard and to Carlos' horror the game had resumed. Juliana had pushed the start button.  
  
" No!" Frantically he grabbed the controller and started playing. Leon decided to let the girls talk and attempted to help Carlos out. He had finally did it. He and Claire were finally going to get married. He figured that they'd find a house, get Claire a motorcycle, punch out a couple of kids. You know all of the good stuff. Hell, they deserved it. Not thinking about going back to work tomorrow Leon focused on tonight and the rest of his life. For once, it was finally going right.  
  
Author's Note: I bet you didn't know he would pop the question in this chapter did you. Or maybe you did. But anyway he did. But does this mean the story is over. Hell No! I've got plenty more planned and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Diddly Day had returned and now the sun shines. Tek, Corruption is kicking it badly. Everyone else, You're the greatest. Keep the reviews coming. They make my day. I'll try and get the next one up soon. Bye now. I must go play FFX and beat Yunalesca. Damn her. Until next time. 


	12. Positive Outlook

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: I'm back with an update and 20 bucks to give each of you. Hey, I'd give a dollar or something if I could. No really, I would. Well, anyway, thanks for reassuring me that this story is doing well so I won't have to bang my head against the door multiple times. Here's Chapter 12. And no you damn copyright people I know I don't own RE, Capcom does so get off my back. Okay, Let's get straight to it.  
  
Chapter 12- Positive Outlook  
  
" How do work today Leon?" Sherry asked from across the table, She had been extra happy every since she found out Leon and Claire were engaged. And she had only two more days before school started back for her. She took an "extended" vacation.  
  
" 9 to 9, which means I'd better be getting a move on. Let me go say bye to Claire." Leon said as he excused himself from the table. Sherry nodded and continued to read the comics as she ate.  
  
Walking into the room, Leon rested his eyes on his fiance. She hadn't moved from where he had left her earlier that morning. They had been at Becca and Carlos' house practically all night so she was exhausted. Leon had to get up for work so he couldn't enjoy sleeping in with her. Walking up to their bed, he bent down and lightly shook her. Claire rolled around for a moment before opening her eyes. Leon just smiled at her as he sat down next to her.  
  
" Morning Claire." Leon told her as he straightened out her hair. Claire rubbed her eyes and smiled back.  
  
" Morning, Leon. Going to work?:" Leon just nodded.  
  
" Yeah, I was just letting you know I'm supposed to get off at 9 but you know the guys. They'll probrably keep me til ten. You know how to reach me."  
  
" Yeah, okay?" Claire replied. She looked at the dresser where she had laid down her engagement ring last night. She picked it up and put it on her finger.  
  
" I'm getting married." Claire said outloud. She still couldn't believe it. Leon chuckled as he picked her up with him.  
  
" That's the idea." Claire slapped him on the face lightly. Leon just grinned and carried her out.  
  
Sherry rose an eye as she noticed Leon carrying Claire through the kitchen and into the kitchen. She smiled and turned back to her comic not paying them any attention.  
  
" Morning Claire. Bye Leon." Sherry called out and continued eating her breakfast.  
  
At the door Leon had picked up his stuff and was about to head out. Claire was watching him as he checked to see if he had everything.  
  
" You need something?" She asked looking down at him.  
  
" I need you but you weigh over 55 pounds. Sorry." Claire chuckled at him. Getting up, Leon pulled her in close and gave her a kiss. They were like this every morning. After living the life they lived they made sure to let each other know they loved them every day. Leon ran his finger across her ring and pulled away.  
  
" This is our future. You sure you ready for that?" Leon warned playfully. Claire brushed his bangs out of the way and grinned.  
  
" If Rebecca can get married to Carlos, I don't think you'll be a problem." Leon smirked.  
  
" I'm not sure if that's the answer I was expecting but whatever. Love you." Claire hugged him again.  
  
" Trust me, I know. I love you too. Now get out of here before you get written up." She scolding him playfully as she spanked him on the butt. Leon turned around and frowned.  
  
" Why are you and Sherry so violent?" With that he waved and continued down the stairs to his car. Claire waved back and turned around to go back inside with Sherry.  
  
" What do you want to do today Sherry? I still can't believe you have to go back on Tuesday." Claire told her surrogate sister as she sat down at the table. Sherry grinned.  
  
" Actually, I'm supposed to go back tomorrow but I talked my aunt into letting me stay a couple of days longer." Claire chuckled.  
  
" So anyway, what do you want to do?' It gets boring around here when Leon goes to work." Claire asked again. Sherry looked at the engagement ring on her finger and propped her elbows on the table.  
  
" Tell me everything." Sherry stated bluntly. Claire looked at her confused and smiled a bit.  
  
" Tell you what." Claire asked trying to play dumb. Sherry took her hand and held it up.  
  
" I want to know how he proposed. I've been waiting close to five years for this, girl." Sherry said as she pushed her plate aside. Claire couldn't help but laugh.  
  
" Okay. Well, first we went to dinner and just talked like it was regular date. Then we went walking around the park and he asked me when was the last time I went to a playground." Claire paused. She looked at Sherry complexed face.  
  
" Say what?" Sherry asked. Claire just nodded and continued.  
  
" He was asking me that so he could talk me into going over to the playground we were walking past Sherry." Claire answered. Sherry gave her a nod.  
  
" After that, we went to the swings and played around for a bit before he sat down and reached for my hand. Then he started pouring out his feelings about everything. I'm mean he was genuinely confessing his love for me." Claire stopped and smiled.  
  
" Did he talk about me huh?" Sherry interrupted with some hope in her eyes.  
  
" As a matter of fact he did Sherry." Claire told her and continued.  
  
" After he asked if I would marry him I sort of lost my breath. But you already know what I said." Sherry nodded and smiled.  
  
" Will I be expecting another nephew or niece anytime soon?" Sherry asked. Claire looked at her and laughed.  
  
" You must be talking about Chris and Jill?" Claire told her. Sherry shook her head.  
  
" I'm talking about you two." Claire smirked as her laughing subsided. Sherry's grin was broader than ever.  
  
" Look at this way Sherry, first things first okay? Beside, Juliana is enough for all of us to handle for now. Speaking of her, let me call Rebecca." Claire got up from the table and walked over to the phone and dialed Rebecca's number.  
  
Downstairs  
  
Riiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnng!!!!!!  
  
The ringing of the phone was amplified a thousand times in Rebecca's head as she rolled around in the bed. She was about to pull out the cord when Carlos reached over and held her arm back. Slowly he reached over her and picked up the phone.  
  
" Hello." He asked yawning. Rebecca pulled the covers up on her as she leaned in closer and rested her head on Carlos' shoulder.  
  
" Morning Carlos. Rebecca up?" was Claire's happy-go-lucky reply from the other line. Carlos looked at Rebecca and mouthed "It's Claire". Rebecca nodded and reached for the phone.  
  
" Hey, Claire. What's up?" Rebecca told her as she sat up in the bed. Carlos laid back down and closed his eyes.  
  
" Nothing, Leon's at work and me and Sherry are bored. You and Carlos want to do something today. We could see if Jill and my brother are home too." Claire suggested while twirling the phone cord around her finger. Rebecca looked at Juliana who was sleeping soundly in the crib across from her bed.  
  
" Yeah, what time do you want to meet up?" Rebecca asked. Claire paused for a second.  
  
" Oh, about 10 is fine. I'll see if Chris and Jill are coming. Later Becca." Rebecca wiped her eyes.  
  
" Later Claire. And congratulations to you and Leon once again. You two needed to stop beating around the bush someday" Rebecca yawned as she laid back down. Claire chuckled.  
  
" Thanks Becca. Bye." Rebecca then replied the same and Claire hung up.  
  
Sherry sat up and stretched before going over to Claire and looking at what she was dialing on the phone.  
  
" Calling Jill?' Sherry asked. Claire nodded, letting her know she had gotten through. The phone rang twice before Claire could hear Jill's tired voice over the phone.  
  
" Hello?" was Jill lazy reply. Claire could hear Chris snoring from the other end.  
  
" Morning sis, you want to come do something with us today. Carlos and Becca are coming too." Claire said lively which made Jill groan. Sleep was hard to come by these days for her. Late nights with Chris were part of the problems.  
  
Jill looked over to Chris and then at the bills sitting on the dresser which she needed to sort through and smirked.  
  
" Okay. Who's house are we meeting at?" Jill asked. Claire narrowed her eyes at Sherry who was looking around in the living room. She had a box in her hand.  
  
" My house. Be here around twelve." Claire told her as she Sherry the finger. She was holding a box of condoms she had found.  
  
" Right. See you at twelve." Jill told her before hanging up. Claire hung up the phone and snatched the condoms away from Sherry. Sherry just laughed.  
  
" It's no wonder you sleep so good. Leon must be wearing you out." Claire snorted.  
  
" Where did you find them? Leon was uh, looking for them." Claire said with a blush creeping into her cheeks.  
  
" In the drawer next to the sofa. You know, one key to successful marriage is maintaining a exciting sex life. With your spouse of course." Sherry explained as if she were a talk show host or something. Claire eyed her closely.  
  
" Sherry, trust me, that won't be a problem. Anyway, go ahead and get dressed before the others arrive." Claire said shooing Sherry away into her guest room. Sherry made a nagging sound and went inside to pick out some clothes. Claire looked at the box of condoms in her hand, thought about what Sherry said and smiled a sly smile before humming herself back to her room to get dressed.  
  
At Claire and Leon's Apartment: Waiting for Chris and Jill  
  
" Carlos, you are the sorriest video game person ever."  
  
" You're not exactly doing anything yourself Becca."  
  
This had been the conversation for the last 20 minutes between Rebecca and Carlos. Claire was straightening up everything before they left and Sherry was laying on the floor mat with Juliana. She was being unusually quiet today thought.  
  
" I have you now." Carlos said triumphantly as Rebecca continued to mash the control in a heated frenzy. She was Sakura with Ryu on her team and Carlos was Ken with Skullomania on his team. Sakura had just did a Hadoken only to be reversed by a Skullomania Super /Skullo Slider which ended after a eight hit combo. The match was over and Carlos had won.  
  
" No No NO! Carlos! You Cheat!" Rebecca yelled as she looked at the player continue screen. Carlos just held his hands up.  
  
" No baby I didn't cheat. I am the superior fighter. The Champ. The."  
  
" The dumbest man I have ever known." Rebecca finished for him. Carlos smirked.  
  
" Then why are you marrying me then." Carlos asked. Rebecca sighed mockingly.  
  
" Because I was still drunk from the wine we had at the restaurant and when you asked me I couldn't think of anything else to say." Carlos frowned at her.  
  
" You are kidding aren't you?" He asked. Rebecca rolled her eyes at him.  
  
" Carlos, if I didn't love you would Juliana Oliviera be there on that floor with Sherry right now?" Carlos' face lit up and he rubbed the bag of his head.  
  
' Oh Yeah." Sherry rolled her at him and Rebecca just shook her head.  
  
Knock Knock  
  
" I'll get it!" Claire yelled from the back room. She walked to the door and looked through the peep hole. After seeing it was Chris and Jill she opened the door and let them in. Jill turned to give her a hug with Chris right behind her.  
  
" Hey everybody." Jill acknowledged as she came to sit down in the living room. Chris followed.  
  
" So where's carrot top?" Chris asked as he got comfortable. Claire walked in a sat on the arm of the chair.  
  
" Working. I'm surprised you all aren't. Anyway, you guys want to go to the mall or something?" Claire suggested.  
  
" How about bowling?" Carlos said outloud. Rebecca smiled.  
  
" Carlos, everyone in their right mind knows you can't bowl. But it's a good idea. How about it Claire? Chris? Jill?'  
  
They all nodded in agreement.  
  
" Okay, the bowling alley we go. Claire can you tell me what time it is?" Rebecca asked with a grin. Claire thought nothing of it as she looked at her watch. On her hand. Chris' eyes followed from her wrist to her finger.  
  
" Son of a bitch, Kennedy did it." Chris said with a stunned look on his face. He looked as if he had just seen a ghost and his eyes started to waver and then close. Jill looked at him curiously.  
  
" What did Leon do?" She asked before seeing the ring on Claire's finger. Jill could feel her face curling into a smile and she jumped up to hug Claire.  
  
" Why didn't you tell me Claire?' Jill asked a little pissed. Claire shrugged. "I wanted you to see for yourself. Well what do you have to say big brother?" Claire teased.  
  
" Chris is a little overwhelmed right now." Rebecca said. Claire looked at her. She turned to see that her brother had passed out. Carlos was laughing along with Sherry who was cracking up on the floor.  
  
" Becca, get Juliana, Jill you and Sherry can go wait outside, Carlos, help me drag my brother to the car." Carlos laughed again. Claire smiled. From there the group made their way outside with Chris in tow. Claire locked the door and headed down the stairs after the others. Today was going to be an eventful day.  
  
' Boy I have to tell Leon about this." She said to herself as she smiled and started up the car and the gang was on their way to the bowling alley.  
  
Author's Note: I don't know how good of a chapter this was but you can tell me. If you review that is. Anyway, the last 2 weeks have been Hell on Earth for me. And because of that, writing hasn't been on my mind much. Well, I hope you're still into the story because in the next couple of chapters another plot twist will unfold. Now whether it's good or bad you'll have to see. Keep reading and reviewing and all shall be revealed. Until Next Time. 


	13. Becca and Carlos: The Odd Couple

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: What's up people. As of now my new FFX challenge is defeating Sin before he uses his overdrive and he is kicking my ass. Badly. So I'm going to take a break and write some. Here goes nothing.  
  
Chapter 13- Becca and Carlos: The Odd Couple  
  
" All right, lanes 14 and 15 are ours." Claire told the gang as she walked back towards them. Everyone was having a hell of a time trying to get their bowling shoes to fit and weren't really paying attention. Claire put her hands on her hips and snorted.  
  
" I said. Lanes 14 and 15 are ours. So get up and come on." She practically yelled at them. Sherry and Chris groaned. They knew first hand about Claire's determined attitude. There was no use in trying to fight it. Reluctantly everyone got up and followed Claire.  
  
"Okay, how are we going to split up into teams. Boy vs. Girls?" Claire asked as she sat down at their lanes. She and Sherry were in the scorekeeper's seat. Rebecca was tending to Juliana as she shook her head.  
  
" Nuh Uh. That's played out. How about we just choose captains or something?" Claire shrugged in agreement.  
  
" All right. I'm first team captain and Sherry you can be second." Sherry nodded first and instantly began to cast an overview of potential teammates.  
  
" I choose Chris." Chris got up and rose his hands in the air signifying victory. Claire rolled her eyes.  
  
" Oh shut up. Well, since she's got Chris I'll get Jill." Jill got up and walked over by Claire. Chris gave her a stare and Jill gave him a hard one right back.  
  
" Then I'll get Rebecca. That means you got Carlos." Sherry said quickly cause Claire to sigh. Carlos wasn't exactly the best bowler around these parts.  
  
" Hey now, you should consider having me on your team an honor Claire. There's no need to be sighing like that." Carlos said as he put his arms around Claire in a friendly way. Rebecca knew he was just playing so she didn't pay him any attention. Claire just rolled her eyes and pushed Carlos off of her.  
  
" Honestly Becca, how do you put up with him?" Rebecca looked up from shoes she was tying and paused in thought.  
  
" You know, I have yet to realize that myself. Let me get situated and then we can bowl. Carlos, put these muff on her ears." Rebecca said as she sat the baby seat down.( I haven't been around babies all that much since my little brother was born and he's 13.) Carlos obediently did as she said and soon Juliana was staring at the adults as they lined up . Sherry was sitting down tickling her. She loved how wide her eyes would get. She was Carlos' child without a doubt. And Rebecca's mouth gave the mother away.  
  
After everyone had gotten all of their bowling balls and set the scoreboard Sherry's team was first to bowl. Chris and Rebecca cheered on as Sherry took her step up to the line.  
  
" Come on Sherry. Don't let you pal Redfield down." Chris shouted from the side. Rebecca laughed at his expression. He was sincerely telling Sherry not to embarrass him. Sherry tossed a 'whatever' kind of look back to him.  
  
" I know what I'm doing Chris. Don't let yourself down." She retorted as she slapped hands with Jill before picking up her bowling ball from the conveyor belt.  
  
" You go girl. Put him in his place." Jill congratulated leaving Chris reddening in embarrassment.  
  
Sherry walked up to the bowler's area and surveyed the lane before backing up and forming up to release the ball. She let the bowl go holding a perfect form.  
  
Crack! Was all the group hard as Sherry's black ball crushed 8 of the 10 pins out of the way. Sherry turned around and smiled at Chris and Rebecca. Preparing to take on the last two pins she looked at Juliana who was fidgeting in her holder. Sherry released the ball and knocked 1 more of the pins down. Chris started to taunt Claire by predicting her team's outcome.  
  
" Claire, this is just the beginning. We haven't even begun to bowl yet little sister. You should be glad Leon isn't here. So he won't have to see you get your ass kicked." Claire got right in his face and gave him one of her trying faces.  
  
" Is that right?' She asked intimidating him. Chris was about to give her a piece of his mind when Rebecca got in the middle of them both.  
  
" Why can't you two ever just have fun like normal people? Claire, Sherry's done, it's your turn." Claire gave Chris one last war look and went to take her turn. Carlos slid over by Rebecca.  
  
"We haven't been here for twenty minutes and already you're playing mediator for Chris and Claire. That's usually Jill's job." Carlos joked. Rebecca slapped him on the arm and laughed. Jill tossed him ticked off look.  
  
" Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" She asked as she leant in closer. Carlos shrugged as if he didn't know. Jill turned to Rebecca who had suddenly found Claire's turn very interesting. She was watching intently. Jill sat back and smirked.  
  
" I see. That's between you two nitwits."  
  
" Hey!" Carlos and Rebecca said as they both turned back to Jill who was giving them an ' Ah Ha' kind of look. Carlos looked quickly to see Claire coming back. She was taunting Chris so he assumed she had done well.  
  
" It look's like you're up Jill." Carlos tried to change the subject. Jill nodded and proceeded to take her turn.  
  
About halfway through the game, Claire's team started to make a comeback and at the final round it was tied. The last two bowlers were ironically Becca and Carlos. Chris and Sherry were cheering Rebecca on thinking she had it in the bag. Claire didn't give them a second thought because she was busy screaming at Carlos.  
  
" All right Carlos, I got twenty dollars riding on this. Don't you mess it up!" Claire yelled from her seat. Jill just chuckled from the sideline. Claire and Chris had become serious gamblers since they started hanging out with Leon and his buddies.  
  
' The Redfield's picked up some bad habit from Leon I suppose?" Jill thought with her grin pinching her face.  
  
Carlos turned around and brushed a hand at the two of them.  
  
" Don't worry. I got this." Carlos said as he stepped out of the way for Rebecca to bowl. Rebecca smiled at him.  
  
" Look at it this way Carlos. Even though you suck as a bowler, you're a pro in bed." Carlos raised an eye brow before bursting out in laughter. The other's joined in. Even Claire chuckled a bit as she tried to keep a straight face and yell at Carlos to quit stalling. Rebecca stepped up to take her turn.  
  
Crack!!!  
  
" Strike! I got a strike. Whoo!" Rebecca shrieked as she turned joyfully and slapped hands with Sherry. Carlos grunted and stepped up.  
  
" All right Carlos. Time to prove yourself." Carlos said to himself. " And your manhood." He added darkly.  
  
Letting the bowling ball go, he watched closely as the ball swerved across the lane. He leant his body to the right hoping somehow the ball would move right. As the ball approached the pins it cut a sharp right and crashed into the pins head on.  
  
Crack!!!!!!!!  
  
" Oh my God. Carlos got a strike." Jill said amazed. She had never seen Carlos get a stirke. Ever. Chris and Sherry's mouths were agape. Rebecca was speechless. Claire was adding up the score and a few seconds later she slammed her fist on the table jolting everyone from their daze.  
  
" Damn!"  
  
Everyone turned to her. " What's wrong Claire?" Jill asked. Claire looked at her disappointed.  
  
" Since Carlos and Rebecca both got strikes it's a tie. No one wins." Chris got up and sat next to Jill and put his arm around her.  
  
" Which means no twenty dollars." Chris informed triumphantly. Claire sighed.  
  
" Yeah, yeah, yeah, no twenty dollars. Whatever. Let's go eat lunch somewhere." She suggested. It was already a quarter after three. With that, everyone started to get their things and prepare to leave. Carlos, however, was still amazed he got a strike. Everyone had left to return their shoes except him and Rebecca. Sherry had taken Juliana with her.  
  
" Carlos, come on. I'm hungry and everyone's threatening to leave us." Rebecca said as Claire was motioning for them to hurry up. Carlos turned around and smiled.  
  
" Oh yeah I'm coming Becca. Just got a little fazed out there." Carlos admitted.  
  
" I'll say. Come on, I'll buy that Die Hard Trilogy DVD set that you've been bothering me about so much." Rebecca told him persuasively.  
  
" Huh? Is this a bribe?" Carlos asked as they started towards the reception desk. Rebecca laughed.  
  
" No. I'm really proud of you. You actually bowled today." Carlos smiled at her and kissed her on her forehead and chuckled.  
  
"We better hurry up before Claire throws a fit. You know how she is when Leon's not around." Rebecca nodded.  
  
" Cuckoo." She said as she pointed to her head and crossed her eyes. That caused her and Carlos to laugh some more. The receptionist looked back and forth between the two of them before asking:  
  
" Do you two have a problem?"  
  
After stopping at Applebee's to eat and stopping by the mall to do a little shopping Chris and Jill decided that they would go ahead home. So from there they went home. The rest of the gang headed back to the apartment.  
  
Getting out of the car, Sherry and Claire yawned at almost the same time. Carlos was locking the car up and Rebecca was carrying Juliana who was pretty much K.Oed.  
  
" Well, I had fun but I think I'm going to take a nap. Claire, you look like you need one too." Sherry told Rebecca as they all walked up the stairs. Claire just nodded.  
  
" Later chicas." Carlos called out to them as he fumbled with the door. Sherry and Claire waved back.  
  
" Ah, home sweet home." Rebecca called as she walked through the front door. Carlos stretched as he plopped into his recliner and kicked off his shoes.  
  
" Where are the movies Becca?" Carlos yelled into the hall.  
  
" In the bag next to you." She yelled back from the bedroom. Carlos slapped himself in the forehead for not thinking to look down.  
  
" Thank you."  
  
Soon Rebecca had changed into something more comfortable. In her case a pair of comfy shorts and a extra long t-shirt that reached past just above her knees and read ' Redheads Kick Ass'. Carlos grinned. " Yes you do." Rebecca looked at him.  
  
" Huh?" He pointed to her shirt. " I said yes you do." Rebecca rolled her eyes. The opening credits to Die Hard had just started rolling. Carlos had motioned for Rebecca to come sit in his lap in the recliner. She stretched her legs to his leg's length. Carlos pulled off his shirt so he was left in his tanktop and wrapped his arms around Rebecca. She nuzzled up to him.  
  
" Is Julie sleeping?" Carlos asked with his head resting on top of Rebecca's. She tossed a glance to the bedroom.  
  
" Yeah, she is. I might be doing the same any second now. I don't know if I can watch an action movie nonstop like you." Rebecca joked.  
  
" You go ahead and sleep Becca. I got 3 DVD's worth of John McClane to watch." Carlos told her as the movie continued to show. Rebecca chuckled.  
  
" You're an idiot. Afternoon Carlos." Becca told him softly as she started to let sleep take over her. Carlos kissed her on the neck gently.  
  
" Afternoon to you too Becca." From there, Carlos attention was focused on the motion picture at hand.  
  
At the End of the Movie  
  
The ending Credits were playing and Rebecca was still sleeping soundly in Carlos' lap. Carlos himself had fallen asleep. He had dozed off in the middle of the movie. He and Rebecca were sleeping soundly in the recliner chair as the movie credits came to a close. What a nice picture it was for this odd couple.  
  
Author's Note: There it is. Another chapter down. Hope it was enjoyable. I think that changing the point of view of the story every once and a while will make it better overall. Well, well, well. I said I had a plot twist coming up didn't I. Yes I do. Will it be the next chapter or the one after that or the one after that? Anyway, it's coming. So please keep reading and reviewing. You know I love them. Tek, I love the excerpt to your sequel to Corruption. Can't wait to see the full post. Okay, people, I've said enough. You're probrably like " Why the hell does he talk so much?" And I be like " I don't know but Hell Yeah!" So Until Next Time. 


	14. The Take Down

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note; I haven't gone to sleep after 1 a.m since June. So I'm just a wee bit tired. But I had a great idea for the story now I just hope I can remember it. Here's Chapter 14.  
  
Chapter 14: The Take Down  
  
" Okay, we've pinpointed the location of the arsonist Shane Carlyle at  
what  
seems to be his center of operations. An abandoned business complex  
in Manhattan. Kennedy, you and Jackson have your warrant and we'll  
provide you with more than enough cover. This is your chance. Let's go  
bust this guy." Those were Commander Boyd's last words as he left the  
briefing room. Leon and his partner Dwayne Jackson went to the lockers  
to  
suit up.  
  
" Eh, Kennedy, I'm guessing you finally popped the question to that  
fine  
girlfriend of yours. You've got incriminating evidence." Jackson joked  
as he  
nodded to Leon's engagement ring. Leon chuckled as he slid on the  
bulletproof vest.  
  
" Yeah, I'm guilty of giving up on my bachelorhood. It's going on  
11:30.  
I'm supposed to be home right now." Leon sighed. Jackson placed a clip  
into his Berretta and put on his jacket.  
  
" Why don't you just call Claire and let her know that we're going in  
for a  
bust?" Jackson asked. Leon shook his head.  
  
" Now Dwayne, you know that we can't inform anyone of an impending  
operation. Even family." Jackson smiled.  
  
" Damn Kennedy, you know the book in and out don't you. Then again,  
after  
all you've been through I guess you love this job. God, I want to be  
like  
you."  
  
Leon laughed once again before getting up and heading to the car.  
Jackson  
followed him and the two made jokes while on their way to the garage.  
Leon  
couldn't think of a better partner to have beside him other than  
Dywane.  
Since his first day in New York, they had been the best of friends.  
Claire had  
met him a few times on occasion and she too liked him. They would even  
each other over for dinner sometimes. Not to mention play cards.  
  
" All right Kennedy. Let's go get em." Jackson bumped his fist with  
Leon's  
fist and Leon did it in return. He was disappointed in not being able  
to  
go home but he knew Claire understood. Besides it was his duty to  
serve and  
protect."  
  
At Leon and Claire's Apartment  
  
Sherry was watching cartoon network but also comforting Claire. She  
had  
been on the phone for about almost 20 minutes calling up to see if  
Leon was  
or if he had left. It was going on 11:45 and Leon was supposed to get  
off at  
nine. She knew he would get off late and if he got held up he would  
always  
call. But tonight, there was no call. Jackson didn' t call for him  
either. That  
worried her. Sherry turned as Claire slammed the phone in disgust.  
  
" What's wrong Claire?" Sherry asked as she turned the t.v. down.  
Courage  
the Cowardly Dog was one of her favorite shows but Claire's obvious  
distress was more important right now.  
  
" Those damn people won't tell let me speak to Leon. They keep on  
saying  
he's unavailable, he's unavailable. And when I asked when he would be  
available, all they said was I'm not sure." Claire sighed before  
closing her  
eyes.  
  
" That is sort of odd, isn't it. Why wouldn't they let you speak to  
him?"  
Sherry agreed. Claire shook her head absently.  
  
" This doesn't seem right. But all I can do is wait. Atleast I have  
you here  
with me though." Claire said still feeling weary but appreciating her  
comfort. Sherry walked over and gave Claire a sisterly hug.  
  
" I'm sure he's okay, Claire." Sherry told her as she sat back and  
turned the  
t.v back up.  
  
" Stupid dog." Was Eustace's insult to Courage on the t.v. Claire  
chuckled a  
bit. Sherry smiled.  
  
" This is funny." Claire noted with a smile creeping to her face.  
Sherry  
nodded.  
  
" Yep. My cousins watch cartoon network 24/7 and it sort of grew on  
me."  
  
" Now I see why Leon watches this show. But Ed, Edd n Eddy I don't  
get."  
Claire questioned outloud. Sherry laughed.  
  
" Okay, Claire this is why the Eds are funny." From there Sherry tried  
to  
calm Claire's nerves by entertaining her with all of her knowledge of  
cartoons. It was the least she could do. Besides, it eased the  
weariness inside  
her too.  
  
Back to Leon  
  
Jackson and Leon were advancing to the upper floor of the complex  
while  
the backup units would secure the lower levels. Two members of the  
N. Y.P.D bomb squad had accompanied Leon and Dwayne for they knew  
Shane had the place rigged with explosives. As they made their way up  
the  
aging corridor, Jackson rose up his hand signaling them to stop.  
  
" What is it?" Leon asked. The bomb squad members Sean Paulsen and  
Michael Briggs looked at him with questioning stares. Jackson  
pointed to the door at the end of the hall.  
  
" We need to secure the room before we let them in." Jackson told Leon  
as  
he pointed to Paulsen and Briggs. Leon nodded.  
  
" All right, I'll make contact and attempt to arrest him with force.  
If that fails, send them in and I'll secure." Jackson nodded.  
  
" Go Kennedy." Jackson commanded. Leon nodded and proceeded  
  
down the corridor. As he approached the room, he took a deep breath.  
  
" Shane, I'm Detective Kennedy with the N.Y.P.D. You know why we're here don't you?"  
  
Leon waited for a response. " Because I'm the one who blew up those buildings and you've come to bust me." Shane told him mockingly through the door. He cocked his glock. Leon heard this and proceeded with caution.  
  
" Shane, listen. You know as well as I know that you're going to serve time. That's inevitable. But trust me, Shane. I've seen guys worse than you. Guys more evil than you. Guys that make your crime look like shit in comparasion. You ever heard of Umbrella Shane. My friends and I took them down. I know how the system works. I can talk to people. But if you dig any deeper I'm not going to be able to pull you out. I don't want to forcefully arrest you, I want to do this with your cooperation. Do you accept?" Leon asked. He looked at Jackson and the others as they waited.  
  
Five minutes later Shane responded.  
  
" Detective. I made me decision. You're right. I'm not going to see freedom any time soon after I get convicted. And you probrably can talk to people. But frankly I don't give a fuck. I'm already gonna burn. You might as well too."  
  
Leon's eyes widened with fear as he heard the clicking of a timer. His adrenaline kicked in.  
  
" Jackson! He's going to detonate!" Leon yelled. Jackson, Paulsen, and Briggs ran down the hall to meet up with him. Leon kicked the door hard. Jackson then kicked it hard. They continued to kick it until it swung open.  
  
" Fuck!" Shane yelled as he took a couple of shots at Leon. He had good aim and one shot hit Leon in the torso. Leon flinched. Jackson ran to him.  
  
" Kennedy! You all right?" Jackson asked with worry increasing. Paulsen and Briggs were attempting to disarm the explosive mechanisms. The whole building complex was wired.  
  
" I'm good. I can walk." Leon told him as he pursued Shane around into the next room. Jackson used his radio to inform the back up units that the building was rigged and to evacuate immediately. After that he ran to Paulsen to see if they made any progress.  
  
" Paulsen, how much time do we have?" Jackson asked worriedly. Paulsen looked up to him with a hint of fear in his eyes.  
  
" We have 2 minutes and we can't stop the detonation of all the bombs. Just the ones on the lower levels. I don't know how the hell he did it but this floor and up is through." Paulsen and Briggs got up and ran out the door and back down to the lower levels. There were 3 floors and the triggering mechanism was on the second. Jackson ran after Leon.  
  
Running as fast as he could Jackson and met up with Leon. Leon was limping. The wound in his abdomen was bleeding profusely.  
  
" Leon! Forget him. We gotta go now! Come on." Jackson said as he and helped Leon up and helped him to the other room where they had entered. Leon sighed.  
  
" I thought I could help him Dwayne." Leon said sadly. Dwayne nodded. " I know you tried. But we really gotta go."  
  
As the approached the door to the stairway, Leon turned to the trigger and glanced at the clock. He eyes widened. 12 seconds.  
  
" Run." Leon said as he let go of Dwayne and started to run. Dwayne ran with him.  
  
" We're gonna make it Leon." Jackson told him as he heard the beeping sound of the trigger.  
  
" I know. Dive!" And after the beeping stopped Leon and Jackson dove into the stairwell hoping the blast wouldn't catch them.  
  
1: 32 a.m  
  
Rinnnnngggggg!  
  
Claire jumped up at the sound of the phone ringing. She had fallen asleep about and hour ago and she looked to see Sherry next to her sleeping as well. Claire quickly picked up the phone.  
  
" Hello. Leon?" Claire asked hopefully. She had been worried to death about him and couldn't shake off the feeling.  
  
" May I speak to the spouse or a family member of Mr. Kennedy mam." Claire narrowed her eyes.  
  
" This is Claire Redfield. I am his fiance. Who is this?' Claire demanded.  
  
" My name is Dr. Levy and I'm afraid I have some rather unfortunate news about your fiance Leon Kennedy." Claire shook her head as she felt a tear roll down her cheek.  
  
" What do you mean?" Claire asked.  
  
' Mr. Kennedy has a bullet wound that has pierced his abdomen and is suffering from 2nd and 3rd degree burns. He has lost much blood and may have broken some ribs. He as also I'm sorry to say unconscious. He may fall into a coma. It is not for certain."  
  
Claire couldn't believe what she had just heard. And this time she didn't attempt to stop the flood of tears that rolled down her face.  
  
" Are any of the wounds fatal doctor?" She asked dreading the worst. Dr. Levy sighed.  
  
" We do not know yet. If he has lost too much blood and the transfusion fails then yes, it is fatal." At this point, Claire broke down and started crying. This woke Sherry up.  
  
" I'm so sorry. Miss Redfield. I really am. Why don't you come down here and see him. Technically only family is allowed in this unit but I will make an exception in your case. Just ask for me when you get here. I'm here at St. John's Hospital. See you when you get here."  
  
" Thank you Dr. Levy." Claire choked out through tears. She hung up the phone. Sherry was looking right at Claire with a sad face. She was no longer joking around. She knew something was seriously wrong.  
  
" It's Leon. Isn't it Claire?" Sherry asked knowing she was treading thin ice. Claire nodded.  
  
" He's in the hospital. He was shot and badly burned. The doctor's said if the blood transfusion fails or if he falls into a coma... He may die." Sherry started to cry a bit.  
  
" Oh Claire." She told her softly as she leant over and gave her a comforting hug. She just let Claire cry into her shoulder. Sherry was hurting too. Leon was like her brother. And at one time, like her father. But like Claire had to be strong for her so many years ago, Sherry knew she had to be strong for Claire now.  
  
Author's Note: Hey, was that a good way to bring some drama into the story? Since this is a romance/drama. I hope it came out okay. To some, it may seem a bit rushed since this is only a day after Leon proposed but believe me. Life can go from high to low in a blink of an eye. I've seen it happen. So could you please review and let me know how you liked the chapter and keep reading. I feel inspired and that means more feedback from you gives me more inspiration to keep writing. Alrighty Then. 


	15. What Must Be Done

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Hey, I'm back. Last chapter was different huh? Well, now the plot is set. Will Leon pull through? What about his partner Dwayne? You find out something in this chapter. Enjoy.  
  
Chapter 15- What Must Be Done  
  
Rinnngggg!  
  
" For God's sake, it's almost 2 o'clock in the morning." Jill moaned as she reached over Chris and grabbed the phone. Chris just grunted and rolled over.  
  
" Hello?" She asked grumpily. Claire was sniffing on the other line. " I just got a call about Leon Jill. He's been shot and apparently burned. He's in intensive care. He may not live." Jill gasped as she took in what Claire had just said.  
  
" Oh no. Claire, I'm so sorry. Let me wake Chris up. I'm on the way, okay." Claire muttered a desolate yes before hanging up. Jill sat back and just stared into nothingness. She had just seen Leon before he had proposed to Claire and now this. Her heart went out to her sister in-law. She had wanted to see Claire and Leon get together since she first saw them work together on a crusade of theirs. They just looked good together. And acted like it. So when they finally did hook up in the Bahamas, Jill was extremely happy for them. And now this. Jill sadly turned to Chris and shook him.  
  
" Chris? Chris?" She said softly. Chris opened his eyes and turned around to see Jill looking at him saddened by something.  
  
" What's wrong Jill?" Chris asked as he sat up. Jill just sighed.  
  
" Claire just called. Leon's in the hospital." Chris rubbed his eyes  
  
" What? In the hospital. What happened?" Chris asked as he sat up and turned on the lamp. Jill shook her head.  
  
" I don't know. Claire said he had gotten shot and he had some serious burns. Some were life threatening." Chris' head fell.  
  
" No. This has to be eating Claire up bad. He just proposed to her yesterday." Chris said. Jill rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
' Yeah, I know. But we just have to have faith. Leon's strong. He can beat this." Chris nodded.  
  
" Come on Jill. Let's go see my baby sister." With that, Chris gave Jill a kiss on the forehead and went into the bathroom to throw on some clothes. Jill slowly got and followed suit.  
  
Back to Claire and Sherry  
  
Claire and Sherry had called Rebecca and Carlos and now they all sat in the living room waiting for Chris and Jill. Upon hearing the news Rebecca simply gasped in shock and Carlos hung his head. It was still hard to believe. It was ironic they survived Umbrella and the many monsters that came with it only for one of them to be fighting for his life because of a human being.  
  
It was quiet for about 10 minutes until a doorbell ring broke the silence. Sherry got up from her spot by Claire on the sofa and went to open the door. " Hey, Sherry." Jill said as she stepped in with Chris following behind her. Sherry just nodded.  
  
" Hi, Jill and Chris." Chris looked into the living room to see Rebecca and Carlos simply holding each other. They were obviously still in shock. Claire was sitting on the sofa just staring into nothing. Like she was deep in thought. Chris could tell by her puffy red eyes that she had been all cried out. Chris frowned at the sight of his sister. He hated to see her this way.  
  
" Claire." He attempted to gain her attention. Claire slowly turned her attention to him. She got up and hugged him as hard as she could.  
  
" I can't lose him Chris. We've been through too much. I just can't." Claire poured her feelings into Chris' shoulder. Chris just continued to comfort her.  
  
" I know. Come on, let's go see him." With that everyone made their way to the door and down to the car.  
  
Chris suggested that Claire ride with him and Jill and Sherry rode with Becca and Carlos. She didn't mind though. She played with Juliana in the backseat to keep her mind off of things.  
  
" I sure hope he pulls through this. I mean, Leon been in worse before. But this is crazy." Carlos said as he was driving. He was just as upset. Ever since he met Leon the two of them had always been cool. Especially since at first both of them were on Chris' hit list. Sherry just sighed in the backseat.  
  
" I do too. Leon's like my brother. And if the thought of losing him hurts me, it must be killing Claire."  
  
Rebecca decided to stay silent during the conversation. She too was thinking about Leon's well being. Hell, she remembered when she first met him.  
  
It was after Chris and Barry had finally arranged for everyone to get together. She had been the first to arrive at their safehouse and Leon had shown up right after. She had thought he was kinda cute when he first walked through the door looking nervous as ever.  
  
" Hey, I'm Rebecca." Leon smiled at her and held his hand out. " Leon"  
  
From there the two went to sit in the living room and talk about what they had been through. Afterwards, they ended up talking about everything else including their love for video games. Eventually though, all that ended when Jill and Carlos stepped in.  
  
"Looks like some others have arrived." Leon chuckled. He and Rebecca had just finished talking about the most embarrassing thing they had ever done. Rebecca turned around only to see Jill and some Hispanic guy next to her. Rebecca was about to go and hug her long time friend but the stranger standing next to her had taken her breath away.  
  
Snapping back into the present Rebecca smiled at the memory. " And look where my eyes have brought me to now." Rebecca joked as she glanced at Carlos' profile. She put her hand on top of his. Carlos just smiled. Sherry noticed this and smiled. It made her think about the Bahamas. And Adam.  
  
At the Hospital  
  
" Hi, I'm Claire Redfield. A Dr. Levy told me to ask for him when I arrived." Claire told the receptionist. After dialing a number and engaging in a brief conversation the receptionist looked up.  
  
" Ah, yes. You can wait here. He's on the way." Claire told her thank you.  
  
" You feeling any better Claire?" Chris asked. She nodded weakly. From there everyone just waited in silence until a doctor walked up to them. He greeted them.  
  
" Hi, I'm Dr. Levy. I suppose you are the one I spoke with on the phone." He asked looking at Claire. She nodded.  
  
" Yes. Dr. Levy, where is Leon now?" He looked at her thoughtfully and glanced at her company.  
  
" He's resting in intensive care. We just finished giving him his transfusion. He pulled through very well if I must say so myself. But we are worried about his burns and the damage he has taken to his vertebral column. His partner isn't doing much better than he is." Dr. Levy explained.  
  
" Dwayne's here too? What happened?" Claire said shocked. She wanted to know what was going on. Now. Dr. Levy nodded.  
  
" All I was informed was that Kennedy and Jacksone were injured on duty. I really do not know the details. Well, Miss Redfield, let me show you the way." From there Claire and the others followed. Dr. Levy noticed this and turned around.  
  
" I'm sorry. I can only permit family at this time. You all will have to wait." He started to explain but Carlos cut him off.  
  
" Please Doctor. We are his family. Leon hasn't anyone else close at home." Dr. Levy looked at the Hispanic man and saw his pleading stare. He agreed with a sigh.  
  
" Okay, you may pass. I just feel like it's the right thing to do." Claire gave him a smile and Jill muttered a Thank You as they passed him.  
  
After showing the door to Leon's room, Dr. Levy turned to Claire.  
  
" Here is the room. He's still in critical condition and still unconscious so he can't hear you. But he does have an iron will. I believe he'll pull through this. I'll leave you all to sit with him." With that, he turned around and slowly shut the door.  
  
Carlos looked at Leon's broken form on the bed. He was covered in bandages and the blemishes from the burns and bruises were still evident. He shook his head. Carlos stood in fromt of Leon.  
  
" Damn Leon. You were always a hothead when it came to serve and protect. You was just doing what you loved. And now you here. I can't see you giving up. You never did. Always found a way to get out of stuff. You can't lose man." Carlos expressed quietly to Leon's unaware form. No body said anything. They just let Carlos be alone with his thoughts for a second. Eventually Rebecca pulled him into an embrace as he beginning to let some tears go. She knew how close Carlos and Leon had become since Umbrella. Their friendship had only gotten stronger since then. Next. Sherry and Claire went up to him. Sherry spoke first.  
  
" Hey Leon. You better wake up soon. We still got some scores to settle. The Playstation's waiting on ya. I'll be ready. I know you can hear me. You can do it you big jerk." Sherry laughed a short bit before crying a little. Jill just comforted her. Chris looked at Claire who was just staring. He realized that she wanted to be alone with him.  
  
" Come on, let's leave Claire alone for a while huh?" Every just nodded and filed out. Chris turned back to Claire as he was about to shut the dour  
  
" You need us, we're gonna be right out here okay sis?" Chris told her. Claire just nodded. With that Chris shut the door.  
  
Claire looked at the door shut and just continued to stare. All of the day's moments just rushed into her head. Waking up, saying bye to Leon, bowling, coming home, waiting for Leon, the phone call. Claire was shocked from it all. Just yesterday, he had proposed. She took a glance at the ring on her finger and then finally at Leon.  
  
" How can you do this to me? About to get yourself killed a day after you proposed to me? You know more than anybody else how many times I've had to suffer a guilty conscious over all the deaths I've seen. Now, I have to sit here knowing that you're this close to dying. Or that you'll never wake up again. Leon, why does always happen to us? Why does something always have to mess up our happiness? Why?" Claire poured her soul out to him before collapsing on Leon's chest and sobbing away. She could stop thinking about her past with him. The night she met him, how she ignored him after her return, her persuading Chris to trust him and Carlos, taking down Umbrella, and how could she forget the Bahamas. Claire rose her head up from his chest and sighed.  
  
" I love you." That was it plain and simple. That's all she needed him to know now. Getting up, Claire kissed him on the forehead and went to go get Chris and the others.  
  
Chris and Jill were sleeping as were Carlos and Rebecca. Sherry was rocking Juliana back and forth. She looked up as she saw Claire walk out of the room.  
  
" Wake Chris up Sherry. Tell him I'm going to stay here. He can go home." Sherry poked Chris in the face before he started slapping her hand away. Jill awoke from Chris' sudden movenment.  
  
" Chris, Claire says she's going to stay. You can go home now." Chris rubbed his eyes and looked at Claire.  
  
" Are you sure? Me and Jill will stay til morning if you like. I'm sure Carlos and Becky won't mind." Claire just dismissed him with a wave of her hand.  
  
" Yeah, I'm sure. Go ahead, I'll be fine. There's a big comfy chair in here." Claire stated. Chris gave her one more look before getting up and hugging her.  
  
" Okay, you get you some sleep. Me and Jill will be back here tomorrow. Carlos, Becca let's go." Chris said as he pinched their noses together. Jill chuckled although she was still sleepy. " Sherry, you wanna drive.? I'm beat." Chris asked. Sherry's eyes lit up. She had been itching to drive Chris' car for a while now.  
  
" Okay. Let's go." Sherry then went over to Claire and gave her a long hug.  
  
" Don't worry yourself Claire. Leon's gonna be okay. I just know it." Sherry told her as she let go. Claire nodded and smiled at Sherry.  
  
" I know he will."  
  
After Chris and the gang headed home Claire walked back into the room and sat down in the chair, She just waited for about a good 10 minutes to see if Leon would wake up. When nothing happened Claire just sighed. She looked in the closet and grabbed a blanket and sat back in the chair. Sitting Indian-style in the seat she let sleep take over her. She wrapped her blanket around herself tighter hoping that she dream she was in Leon's arms.  
  
Author's Note: I finished the chapter. Ha! We started school stoday which sucks. I really hate getting up in the morning. Anyway, that's another chapter for you all. Please read and review so I can look stupid at the computer with a smile on my face. Tek, this chapter's for you since we both had to start school today. Hope you all enjoyed it. Until next time. 


	16. Departure

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Um, just in cause anyone's forgotten. School sucks. First week as a senior was okay though. I hope everyone's still enjoying the story because in about 5 or 6 chapters I'm done with it. Well, after the epilouge. Anyway, here's chapter 16. P.S: I wonder where everybody's at?  
  
Chapter 16-Departure  
  
It had been two days since Claire had received the call about Leon and she had stayed by him in the hospital the whole time. Everyone else would come by and sit with her and waited for Leon to wake up. Dr. Levy had told her that he had passed a very critical stage after his surgery but a relapse was possible. And if so he probably wouldn't be able to pull though a second time. Claire had accepted the situation and just continued her watch. She had faith that her fiance would hold her again.  
  
" Morning, Claire." Sherry had greeted as she woke up in the other chair. She had decided to stay at the hospital with Claire last night. Today was her last day here before she went back to Chicago. Claire smiled at her.  
  
" Morning Sherry. You have to leave today don't you?" Sherry nodded with a grim look on her face.  
  
" Yeah, I wish I could stay a little longer though. Did Leon wake up yet?" Sherry asked. Claire shook her head.  
  
" No., but this morning I did go see his partner Dwayne. He told me the whole story. Now I see why Leon's in the condition he's in. They were going in to bust some lunatic and he had his hide out wired with explosives. He blew himself up after Leon tried reasoning with him." Sherry looked down.  
  
" Aw man." Sherry said. Claire turned the t.v. on and started flipping through channels.  
  
" What to watch, what to watch?" Claire wondered out loud. Sherry shrugged.  
  
" How about some cartoons?" Leon said weakly from the bed. Claire and Sherry's eyes bulged as they turned to see Leon chuckling at them from the bed.  
  
" Leon!" They both shouted simultaneously. Dropping the remote Claire about jumped at him and Sherry was at his side in an instant.  
  
" Ladies." Leon said still chuckling. Claire didn't give him too much time after that. She had already pressed her lips to his and was slowly taking his breath away. Sherry was wide eyed.  
  
" Claire, ease up. He still has to breath you know." Sherry said laughing. Claire slowly pulled away and gave Leon a hug. He flinched but reciprocated it. Even if he lost his arms he'd still find a way to hug her.  
  
" I love you." Claire whispered in his ear. Leon just held her a little tighter.  
  
' I know. I love you too." Leon told her softly. Sherry just smiled from the other side of the bed. She was ecstatic that Leon had regain consciousness but she was even more glad that Claire's prayers had been answered. Just another miracle she had witnessed since her vacation. Leon turned to Sherry but was still holding Claire.  
  
" Sherry, how many more days do you have left to stay with us?" Leon asked curiously. Sherry grinned.  
  
" Today's my last day, Leon." Leon cocked his head. He was sure she had til Monday unless...  
  
" You're telling me I've been unconscious for two days?" Leon questioned outloud. Claire laughed. Sherry nodded.  
  
" " Yep, and it's about time you wake up. You had us worried to death over you. Not to mention Claire's been at your side the whole time." Leon turned to Claire and smiled.  
  
" You stayed here for two days straight. For me?" Claire nodded at him and smiled right back.  
  
" Of course. You've been there for me and I'll always be here for you." Leon just sighed. He felt awful but at the same time felt great. Somebody had to be watching over him because there was a chance he would never be able to touch her again.  
  
" Hey, Dexter's coming on. You're gonna have to move aside Claire." Leon said as he turned the t.v up and tried to move Claire out of his way. Sherry just sat back in her chair and propped her feet up on the air conditioner. Claire gave him a look of disdain.  
  
" I swear I think you love cartoons and that damn Playstation 2 more than me." Claire said as she scooted to the side but her hand never leaving his. Leon shook his head a little.  
  
" Oh no. I'd rather play with you than play my game anytime. I'm not sure about the cartoons though. When me and Carlos were roomates we had 4 set channels. Cartoon Network, Fox, Espn, and Comedy Central. Plus we had a closet full of action movies." Leon concluded. Claire just rolled her eyes at him and smirked.  
  
" I can do action." Leon grinned.  
  
" Sorry but I'm all out of action right now. But trust me, the moment I get home I'll be 100%." Sherry slapped her forehead.  
  
" And I will not be here to witness it thank God. Enough with the love life talk. You guys are sick." Sherry groaned. Claire and Leon started cracking up. Sherry hated it when they would get into those type of conversations. Usually because she had to listen to them groan and moan and just oh God.  
  
" Hey Sherry, would you mind calling the others and let them know that Leon's awake. Besides, Chris has to take you to the airport later." Claire asked. " All right. I'll call them." Sherry agreed and she reached for the phone and started dialing Chris and Jill's number.  
  
About 45 minutes later Chris, Jill, Becca, and Carlos were walking in the door. Leon smiled at all of them.  
  
" It's good to see all of you. And Chris, before you pass out, I just want you to know that me and Claire are engaged." Claire chuckled as did everyone else. Chris just laughed.  
  
" You're a little too late for that Leon. But I'm happy that you did. Speaking of which, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Chris said as he put his hand on Leon's shoulder lightly. Jill was standing next to him just smiling.  
  
" Well, Carlos said he wanted to see the looks on your faces." Carlos face had gone pale and he looked at Chris with wide eyes. Chris turned to him.  
  
" Hey Hey now, it was late and I figured you and Jill didn't want to be bothered. Right Becca?" Rebecca, who was rocking Juliana in her arms, grinned.  
  
" Actually, I was about to tell them but you stopped me." Carlos head fell as she laughed. Chris started over to him and gave him one good punch to the back. Carlos winced as he chuckled. Leon smirked at the two of them. Chris walked back to Jill and put his arm around her waist.  
  
" Nothing would stop me from wanting to hear about my baby sister's proposal." Chris admitted.  
  
" Leon, what happened?" Jill asked as she noticed the bandages around his torso. Leon just sighed.  
  
" It's a long story. To put it simply, me and my partner ended up having to jump into a stairwell and practically tumbled down to the floor below just before some explosives went off. The upper floor collapsed on us. I don't remember anything after that." Jill was in awe. Leon had never done a feat like that. Even in their battle with Umbrella. It pleased her that she was able to talk to him again. She glanced over by Claire who had her hand in his. Those two couldn't and wouldn't be separated.  
  
" Hey, where's your ring Leon? You didn't lose it did you?" Jill asked as she glanced from Claire's ring to his hand. Leon looked at his finger and saw his ring was missing. He was about to say he didn't know until Claire interrupted him.  
  
" They took it off when you arrived. Dr. Levy told me they have your things in storage." Leon let his head fall back down to the pillow.  
  
" Hey, Becca let me see my niece" Leon asked. He attempted to hold his arms out. Rebecca smirked at him and carefully place Juliana in his arms. Juliana didn't do anything but stare at him. Leon smiled at the look of her face. She was only a few days old and already had the clueless face of her father.  
  
" You must not be in that much pain. You think you'll be home before the wedding?" Rebecca asked breaking Leon from his silent thoughts. Leon looked up from Juliana's face.  
  
" I'm still plenty sore from the burns and my head still hurts but even if I have to be rolled out on a stretcher I'm not gonna miss you and Carlos' big day. Besides, if this doesn't kill me Jill will." Chris burst into a flood of laughs. Claire and Sherry just grinned. Carlos and Becca looked at Jill. Jill was looking at him with a questioning grin.  
  
" Why do you say that?" She asked. Leon just kept smiling.  
  
" Jill, everyone knows you like the big sister. You keep the rest of us in check. Squarehead included." Jill laughed at the remark he had made about Chris. Chris started feeling his head.  
  
" My head's not that square." He argued. Claire laughed.  
  
" Oh yeah it is. Be quiet and stop complaining." Claire joked. Suddenly, a hard punch and a ring bell was heard all around the room. Leon looked to see Carlos and Sherry had turned the t.v to ESPN to see the rerun of Friday Night Fights. Some poor man had just got his head bashed in. Carlos and Sherry turned their heads a bit.  
  
" Oooohhh." The two of them said in unison. " That's it. Another 1 round KO by Mr. Lewis." The t.v announcer said. Chris looked at the t.v with interest. Jill, Rebecca, and Claire rolled their heads at everyone's else sudden interest in the fight. Seconds later Dr. Levy walked.  
  
" How are all of you this afternoon?" He greeted everyone. Everyone greeted him back. He smiled brightly when he saw that Leon had regained consciousness. He looked on with a smile as he saw Leon with Juliana in his arms.  
  
" Is this your daughter?" He asked as he glanced at Claire and then back to Leon. Leon shook his head and nodded to Carlos and Rebecca.  
  
" No, she's theirs. But I consider my niece. Anyway what's up doc?" Dr. Levy laughed at the ironic question.  
  
" Well, since you're awake we're going to have to perform a few more test on you to see what needs to be done and determine how long you'll be here. I'm afraid that your company will have to leave for right now. This may take awhile." Leon nodded and handed Juliana back to Rebecca.  
  
" Okay, let me say bye to them first." Dr.Levy nodded and started talking to the other doctors outside the room and started to prepare Leon's testing procedures.  
  
" I'm so thankful that I came out of this the way I did. It could have been so much worse. Man, I love you guys. But I guess you already know that." Leon said quietly.  
  
" Yeah, we know. We'll be back tomorrow. Get some rest now so you can come home and keep Claire from running up our phone bill." Chris said as he gave him a hug. Leon chuckled at Claire's annoyed stare. Jill followed and hugged him afterwards.  
  
" You know how to reach us. Don't hesitate to call if you need us." Jill told him. Rebecca and Carlos followed after her and hugged him and said bye. Sherry looked at her watch and groaned.  
  
" Aw man, I gotta get ready to leave. My plane leaves in an hour and a half. Chris, we gotta swing by Claire's house right quick and pick up my stuff." Chris nodded.  
  
" Okay. Let's go. Get Better Leon." With that everyone except Claire and Sherry followed Chris out.  
  
" Sherry come here and give my a hug before I get out of this bed and beat you up." Leon joked. Sherry laughed at him and gave him a long, almost bone- crushing bearhug. Leon nodded.  
  
" You get well, you hear? I don't wanna have to come back until Carlos and Becca's wedding got it?" Sherry told him. Claire just stood silent from the side of the bed. She let Sherry have her space.  
  
" I got it. Don't worry about me. I'll be okay." Leon assured her. Sherry stood up and looked at him with somewhat teary eyes. She hated this part of her vacation. It was all too familiar like the first time she had separated from Leon and Claire.  
  
" You better keep your word on that. Oh yeah, Aunt Patricia said hey to you two and she wants to know when you two are coming to Chicago." Claire stepped over to her.  
  
" Tell her it'll be sometime soon." Sherry nodded.  
  
" Okay, Sherry, I think it's time to go." Leon said sadly. Sherry gave him one more hug.  
  
" I love you big bro." Leon looked at Claire and smiled.  
  
" I love you too little sis. Be good. I'll see you soon. I promise that." With that she pulled away and started to the door.  
  
" All right Claire. Don't take all day unless you want me around for another 3 days." Sherry grinned before walking out. Claire chuckled.  
  
" It always ends up like this doesn't it?" Claire told him as she intertwined her fingers in his. Leon pulled her closer to him.  
  
" Always." With that he drew her in for a kiss. A long sentimental kiss. Claire allowed him to release his hand from hers so he could pull her even closer. The shock from her lips sizzled against his and nothing but happy thoughts were going through his head. No matter what, he wouldn't trade anything in the world for the opportunity to be with Claire Redfield. Well now soon to be Claire Kennedy. Finally though, after about 5 minutes she pulled away.  
  
" I love you. More than life itself Claire." Leon said softly. Claire shook her head.  
  
" No, Leon you are my life now. I love you just that much." Claire corrected him. Leon nodded.  
  
" I know. Go ahead and meet up with the others before Sherry throws a fit." Claire grinned at him and kissed him on the forehead.  
  
" I'm going to stay at Chris' house tonight. I'll be back in the morning okay." Claire said as she turned facing the door.  
  
" Okay. I'm not going anywhere." Leon joked. Claire smirked at him.  
  
" Yeah, because I'd kill you if you did. Love you." Claire called to him. Leon called back.  
  
" Love you too."  
  
After Claire left, Dr. Levy and a few more doctors came with some equipment and started to move Leon to the laboratory. It was going to be a long night.  
  
After stopping by Claire's apartment to get her clothes, everyone had finally made it to the airport where they had been waiting for about an hour. Finally Sherry's plane back home was boarding. Standing up she looked sadly to everyone else.  
  
" I guess this is it. We're gonna miss you Sherry." Carlos said as he hugged her. Sherry hugged him back.  
  
" Yeah, you just watch over Juliana and Becca. All right Carlos." Sherry turned to Rebecca who was standing next to him. Juliana was in her arms.  
  
" Becca, I'll be back for the wedding even if I have to hijack a plane. And I want to see my little niece too." Rebecca hugged the young girl and Sherry hugged her back with tears now.  
  
" Chris and Jill, you guys are so good to me. I'm going to miss you two arguing. It's just too funny." She came up and hugged the both of them.  
  
" Claire, you're always the hardest to say goodbye too. I love it when I come to visit you guys. You were my family when I didn't have any and you still are. I love all of you."  
  
" We love you too Sherry." Chris told her on behalf of everyone else. Claire just embraced her one more time.  
  
" You stay out of trouble. And don't worry about us. We're still gonna be the same old gang." Sherry chuckled.  
  
" I talk about you guys all the time you know." Claire looked at her at eye level. Sherry had grown so much since Raccon. She was no longer the little girl she had found. Claire noticed that Sherry was become more and more like Annette every time she saw her. And even a bit of William was visible. Claire believed that he was a good man but his work blinded him from his family and his life.  
  
" Well, tell them some more stories. I wanna hear their reactions."  
  
" Okay. Bye." Sherry said as she waved and picked up her bags. She gave the gatekeeper her ticket and started inside the gate. Claire walked over to the window and looked out at the plane. Everyone else followed.  
  
20 minutes later Sherry's plane had taken off and she was on her way back to Chicago. Claire had prayed that she got back home safely. After that, she started crying. Jill hugged her and looked at her with concern.  
  
" You all right Claire? I know how much you miss her." Claire nodded.  
  
" Yeah, I'm fine. I just hate goodbyes." Claire said wiping her eyes.  
  
" Hey, you guys wanna get something to eat. I'm starving." Carlos said rubbing his stomach. Rebecca glared at him.  
  
" Is that all you think about. Food?" Rebecca questioned.  
  
" No." Carlos droned slowly. " I think about you, and Juliana, and action movies and sex, and..."  
  
" Okay, that's enough! Let's go and get something. Carlos, say another word and you're walking." Chris interrupted. Carlos shrugged. Jill and Claire laughed. Carlos nodded. Rebecca stared down at her daughter in her arms. She shook her head and smiled.  
  
" You sure have a lot to look up to when you get older." From there she just followed everyone else out of the terminal to the car.  
  
Author's Note: I finished it. Chapter 16. I really like this chapter. I think it came out good. People, the little box on the lower left hand screen is your friend as well as mine. Please keep reading and review the story. Not too much is left anyway. Diddly Day updated. This is like Sunday edition Newspaper headliner. Lol. To all who have supported this story, I'm extremely grateful and all that other good crap. Hope you'll stick with me. Hell Yeah. 


	17. Slumber Party

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: First off, thanks to everyone that reviewed and let me know that this story is still alive and kicking. I got about 5 more chapters after this and then the epilouge. This is thanks to Tek, for reminding me to get off my lazy ass and write. Okay, here's chapter 17.  
  
Chapter 17- Slumber Party  
  
" Okay, everyone out." Chris addressed the passengers of the car as he turned of the ignition. Claire was sleeping soundly behind Chris while Rebecca was asleep in between Claire and Carlos with Juliana sleeping in her arms. She had her head resting on his shoulder. Jill turned around to see the three of them out cold. She grinned.  
  
" Look at them Chris. Tired out from being themselves. You think we should go ahead and take them home?" Jill asked. Chris looked at her then to the three in the back and back to Jill. His answer was blunt and quite obvious.  
  
" Hell No. I'm here already I'm eating." Jill blew her hair out of her face and smirked at him.  
  
" Whatever you say." Chris smiled and stepped out the car and opened the back door with Carlos leaning on it. He practically fell out.  
  
" Rise and shine soldier boy. You too redhead. Claire, you already know what time it is." Chris told them each individually grinning the whole time. Jill just looked on from the front of the restaurant. Carlos groaned and started swinging around trying to hit Chris. Rebecca gave him an irritated glare. Claire just shot him the bird.  
  
" Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you all want to eat for free I suggest you quit bitching and come on." Chris told them as he turned to meet Jill. Instantly, Claire got up and beat Chris to the entrance. Carlos had grabbed Juliana from Rebecca and put her in his right arm while he pulled Rebecca with his other hand. Jill was laughing her ass off from inside the lobby. She gave Chris a pout when he walked up to her and put his arms around her waist.  
  
" Isn't it amazing what people will do for free food?' He teased. Jill smiled at him.  
  
" Sometimes I wonder about you Redfield?" Jill told him as she and Chris followed the others inside to wait for service. Chris smirked.  
  
" Ah, I too wonder about myself Ms. Valentine. Oh excuse me, Mrs. Redfield." Jill smirked back at him and pecked him on the cheek. Chris rubbed the spot as if it was his first kiss. He looked at Jill bashfully.  
  
" Hmm, I see my charm is getting to the point where it's unresistable." Jill was about to comment when Claire interrupted them.  
  
"' More like unbearable. Come on so we can be seated." Blushing a little Jill pulled away from Chris and they followed Claire and the others to the table.  
  
Once the arrived, the waiter told them she would be back in a few minutes. Knowing that a few minutes way going to take a while the gang sat down and started flipping through the menus. Chris and Carlos sat on one side of the table and the girls sat on the other.  
  
As she finished looking at her order and put the menu down, Claire realized that everyone at the table was married or soon to be married. It was sort of funny to her. She looked at Becca and Carlos.  
  
" Becca, how did you and Carlos get together anyway. I just remember Carlos kissing you at the party and that was it. Were you two together before that?" Rebecca looked up from her order with a smile. Carlos was looking horrified. Chris and Jill put their menus down and laid their eyes on the couple with a smirk evident on their faces.  
  
" Well, it was sort of an accident." Rebecca started. Carlos shook his head.  
  
" Don't tell them Becca. It's embarrassing." Carlos pleaded. Rebecca smiled and continued.  
  
" Anyway, that one day when Leon, Chris, and Barry had went to get some information of one of the Umbrella Plants and you and Jill were doing something with Sherry, I was coming back from getting something for lunch. You remember that day?' Claire nodded. Rebecca continued.  
  
" Well, I was about to sit down and eat and watch t.v until I heard Carlos in the back talking. I couldn't hear what he was saying though. I fixed him a plate and brought it to his room. His door was open a little so I cracked it just a bit and.." Rebecca passed a glance at Carlos' blushing face. Jill was grinning at him. Claire was thirsty to hear what happened next.  
  
" He was talking to himself. About how he was going to ask me out. He sounded so nervous. Then finally he said that he could fall in love with me. That's when I dropped his food on the floor and he was scared shitless." Claire started laughing. Chris gave Carlos a respectful look.  
  
" And after a minute of silence, I sat down with him on the bed and we talked and talked. We told each other about the crushes we had on each other. How our feelings were growing the more we worked with one another. That day, we became official but we didn't want ya'll to know until later." She concluded. Carlos threw his hands in the air.  
  
" You just had to tell them the story didn't you Becca?" She rolled her eyes at him and turned back to Claire.  
  
" Anyway, that's how it happened." Claire smiled at Carlos.  
  
" Aww, Carlos was a romantic. What happened?' She taunted. Carlos just blew her off.  
  
" All right all right. Enough with the embarrassment. Aye" Jill looked at Chris.  
  
" Remember when we were like that. You didn't' want anyone to know how we got together." Chris nodded.  
  
" Yeah, I remember. It doesn't matter now. I'm just glad we did." Chris turned to Claire.  
  
" You feeling better sis? You're being sarcastic again?" Claire chuckled. " Yeah, I'm okay now." At that moment the waiter walked back up to them and took their order.  
  
From there the gang talked about what had happened the last few days and about each other's getting together. Unintentionally this subject brought up the Bahamas and with that came memories of happier times. As the others kept up the conversation Claire quieted down and became lost in thought. Although she had felt better, that didn't mean she was 100% again.  
  
Jill sighed in relief as the group walked back to the car. For once dinner had gone uneventful and was actually quite enjoyable. Well, except for Chris and Carlos' on going spat over some football game she didn't have the slightest bit of interest in. At that moment Juliana was in her arms and whimpering. Almost instantly Jill began to rub her softly on the back and coo to her slightly to calm her down. After the past few days with her, Jill figured she was wrong about Juliana's personality. She was actually pretty calm. Something that came from Becca no doubt.  
  
" Okay, next stop. You guy's place." Chris said to Becca as he started up the car. Carlos and Rebecca looked at each other and back to Chris and grinned. Rebecca ventured on.  
  
" Um, Chris, can we stay at your house tonight?" Chris turned back around and looked at them with question.  
  
" Why?" The other couple shrugged. Chris looked at Jill who was chuckling, then to Claire who shrugged back at him. Chris didn't know why the two didn't want to go home but as long as the two of them were quiet he didn't care.  
  
" Okay, but you two better not be up to anything stupid. Mainly you Carlos." Chris told them as he finally pulled out. Chris was focused on the road when Jill tapped him on the arm. Chris turned to her.  
  
" How about we rent a movie? That'll keep them occupied for a while." Jill suggested.  
  
" Okay. We can do that. Besides I gotta go to work in the morning. So I'm gonna stay up for a while and then turn in. You off tomorrow?" Chris asked. Jill thought for a second.  
  
" Yeah, I am. I can take them home in the Camry tomorrow. I tell you it feels like we're babysitting." Jill said as she glance back at the others who were in some trivial dispute over something Jill could care less about. Chris chuckled.  
  
" We're not to far away from it."  
  
It was going on 7:45 by the time they had arrived at Blockbuster. This time there were no problems getting out the car. Once they reached the door, Chris spoke up to everyone.  
  
" Okay, here's the deal. Grab about 2 or 3 movies and some popcorn. Be quick about it too. "Claire". He finished off with emphasis on her name. Claire threw him a nasty look.  
  
" You're the one who takes to takes forever just to order a sandwich at McDonald's. I timed you. It took you 3 minutes and 12 seconds just to order a damn Double Cheeseburger. And another thing..." Claire was cut off by Jill. Rebecca and Carlos were snickering at the two siblings evilly.  
  
" Claire, we all know about your brother's many issues, but Chris is right. Let's just go and get the tapes okay." Jill tried to reason. Claire nodded and stuck her tongue out at Chris before walking into the store. Becca looked back and forth between the two.  
  
" Am I glad I'm an only child or what."  
  
This was the first time all of them had gone to the movie store at the same time so this was challenge for them all. While Claire went with Chris and Jill to the Comedy section we can only guess were Rebecca and Carlos went.  
  
" Let's get this Becca." Carlos whined trying to persuade Rebecca to agree with him. He held the Total Recall Widescreen Edition DVD in his hand. Rebecca groaned. " Oh come on Carlos, for once can we get a movie from the 90's or something. Or how about we get a movie where somebody doesn't die. That would be just great." She added sarcastically. Carlos looked at her.  
  
" Where's the fun in that?" He answered just about as confused as he looked. Rebecca just stared at him a little bit longer while Juliana was pulling on the collar of her shirt.  
  
" You're hopeless. Okay, how about Titanic. It's mushy in the beginning but towards the latter part of the movie there's a lot of action scenes." Rebecca offered. Carlos took the case to the DVD and thought about it for a second. He nodded.  
  
" Okay. I've been picking all the movies lately haven't I?" He laughed. Rebecca rolled her eyes and proceeded to the checkout.  
  
" Okay, what did you guys get?" Chris asked as they all got in line. Rebecca held up the box after she handed Juliana to Carlos.  
  
" Titanic. After a long going battle with Captain Kill over here." She said nodded over to Carlos. He sucked his teeth at her remark.  
  
" Well, we got Final Destination one and two so that makes 3 movies. Are you sure you guys don't want to stop by your houses before we go?" Jill asked. Claire thought for a minute.  
  
" I suppose we can get a change of clothes. Besides, Juliana doesn't have anything to sleep in." She answered rolling her eyes at the poor girls parents. Carlos looked at her with realization.  
  
" Oh Yeah." With that, Chris paid for the movies and they started towards Carlos and Becca's apartment.  
  
It was going on nine o'clock when Chris finally pulled into his and Jill's familiar driveway. Stretching for a bit he yawned as he got out of the car. Jill followed him up the stairs and he pulled her closer to him as he unlocked the door.  
  
" What have we gotten ourselves into Jilly?" He asked lowly as he opened the door. Carlos , Claire, and Rebecca were piling out from the backseat. Carlos was carry his and Rebecca's things while Claire carried her own. Rebecca had Juliana, who was now crying, in her arms.  
  
" Another long night. Nyquil is going to be so good to me tonight." Jill joked as she and Chris hung up their coats. Chris grinned sly.  
  
" Is Nyquil better than me at putting you to sleep?" Chris asked with suavel Jill just eyed him before wrapping her arms around his neck and breathing into his ear seductively.  
  
" Nothing is better at putting me to sleep than you Chris. Nothing in the world." Jill laughed softly. She had said it to make it seem like a joke but in fact she was dead serious. Chris satisfied her in more ways than one.  
  
" Becca, if you don't tell Carlos to shut his mouth I'm going kill him!" Came Claire's shouting interrupting Chris and Jill's moment. Chris gave them a pissed off look and Jill just pulled his face back to face her and smirked.  
  
" Forget them." She said before kissing him again. It didn't matter to her that the front door was still open or that Claire was trying to strangle the living daylights out of Carlos.  
  
After Carlos and Claire had taken their argument to the living room, Rebecca walked up to Chris and Jill with an innocent look.  
  
" Maybe if we started the movie, then they'll calm down." She suggested. Jill chuckled at the girl's childlike appearance. She looked too cute. Especially with Juliana in her arms like one of those Cabbage Patch Dolls.  
  
" Yeah, let's go ahead and watch the movie. I heard that Final Destination 2 was awesome but I want to see the first one first." Chris said as he started towards the living room. Jill followed him and went into the kitchen. Rebecca locked the front door and followed them.  
  
A few hours later  
  
Carlos and Rebecca's labored breathing could be heard throughout the living room. Rebecca was cuddled next to him on the floor while Juliana's temporary rocker was next to them. Claire had one eye open and one eye slowly closing as the end of Final Destination 2 played on the screen. Finally she gave up trying to stay awake and closed her eyes.  
  
" Chris, Jill I'm going to sleep. Night." Claire said sleepily as she pulled the covers up over her. Chris was cleaning up the popcorn mess that Juliana had made Carlos cause. She had coughed up on him and he accidentally threw his hands up and hit his arm on the edge of the table causing the bowl to fall. He stopped and tucked Claire in the covers she was wrapped up in.  
  
" Night Claire." After doing that he turned on the lamp and turned off the t.v. Jill was looking at him clean up and yawning at the same time.  
  
" You ready for bed now? You gotta work tomorrow." She asked getting up and helping Chris throw the trash away and straighten up.  
  
" Yeah, I'm surprised that we outlasted them. Usually me and you will get tired of their antics and go upstairs and ... You know." Chris said slyly. Jill nodded with a smile of her own.  
  
" Uh huh, I know. But tonight I'm wasted. Let's try to sleep all right?" She told him as they started towards the stairs.  
  
" Fine by me. I'm beat too." Chris agreed.  
  
As he opened the door to their bedroom he yawned before kicking off his flip flops and changing into his nightwear which really just consisted of boxers and an undershirt. Jill too changed. Mainly a really long t-shirt and her undergarments.  
  
Sliding into bed, Jill crawled up onto her usually spot which was on top of him. One leg draped over one of his. Chris appreciated her closeness, especially since it was getting colder now. Chris brushed her hair around. Jill smiled.  
  
" Today has been a good day hasn't Chris?" Jill asked. She listened to his heartbeat and waited for his reply. He made a hmm sound in agreement.  
  
" Let's sleep now." Chris said as he turned off their room lamp, leaving the late autumn moon to shine through the blinds. Jill closed her eyes.  
  
" Okay. I love you." She told him as she drifted off. Chris tightened their embrace unconsciously.  
  
" I love you too Jilly." Those were his last words for the night. After that, the Redfield residence was but a dream.  
  
Author's Note: Okay, first off, I'm lazy. Plain and Simple. I could've had this chapter out last week but stuff happens. Anyway, hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I've been a little down lately. Don't know why. So I would love to hear some feedback. Hopefully good feedback. And just to remind you this story is coming to an end real soon. Like as in the next 5 chapters. Okay, enough crap. Keep Reading and Reviewing and don't eat too much ice cream. Aye. Until Next Time 


	18. Good Things Happen To Those Who Wait

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Hey everyone. Here goes another chapter that almost never happened but Tek helped me out a bunch. Hope you're still reading this and enjoying it. Didn't get too much feedback last chapter but what the hell. I just hope that you stick with me. Okay, here it goes.  
  
Chapter 18- Good Things Happen to Those Who Wait  
  
3:48 A.M- The Redfield House  
  
Chris' eyes opened slowly as he became aware of the loud growling sound that he recognized as his stomach. Taking a quick glance at the clock on the table stand he figured he had at least four more hours before he ate breakfast so a late night snack wouldn't hurt.  
  
As he started to slip out of bed he turned to turn on the lamp. When he turn his head back around he met the eyes of a very sleepy Jillian Redfield.  
  
" Where are you going?" She asked as she pinned him back down to the bed. He just so happened to be her sleeping spot. Chris smirked at her curiosity.  
  
" Nowhere, just downstairs to get a late night snack. You want something?" Chris offered as he lightly pulled Jill off of him and started to get up. Jill wrapped her body inside the sheet she was on and turned around.  
  
" No. I'm fine. Just hurry up so I can get my spot back." Jill told him with a drowsy yawn. Chris chuckled. He knew as well as anyone that "he" was Jill's spot. Walking down the stairs, Chris saw what looked like Becca and Carlos sleeping on the floor. Juliana was in her rocker not doing much really but he could tell she wasn't asleep. And last but certainly not least he glanced at Claire sleeping her little heart away on the couch. She had this funny look on her face.  
  
" Dreaming of Leon, no doubt." He said to himself before noticing a white light radiating from the kitchen.  
  
" What the."  
  
Grabbing his metal baseball bat Chris slowly crept closer to the kitchen. He could see the form of a man inside. Gripping onto the bat tighter, he slowly pushed opened the wooden doors and prepared to assault.  
  
" Okay, Who the hell....Carlos!?" Chris' demeanor went from worried to pissed. Carlos was in his refrigerator eating the Jello that Jill had made earlier that night. But she said it wouldn't finish til sometime in the morning. He was happily scooping spoonfuls of the blue gelatin into a large bowl. Carlos jumped and the spoon flew out of his hand as the refrigerator door swung open.  
  
"Ahhhhhhhh!...Chris?" The two of them just stood there for a minute before Chris broke the silence.  
  
" What in the blue hell are you doing in my refrigerator?" Chris asked. Carlos looked back at him.  
  
" I was hungry and I didn't feel like cooking anything. Why are up so early?' Carlos asked him. Chris was about to tell him it didn't matter why he was but he stopped in mid phrase.  
  
" I was hungry too." Carlos looked at the bat in Chris' hand and chuckled before holding the Jello bowl out.  
  
" Here, you want some of this too?" He offered. Chris threw a glance at the Hispanic before setting the bat down and grabbing a bowl from the cabinet.  
  
7:58 A.M  
  
" Chris! Breakfast. Bring your ass down here now!" Claire shouted from the kitchen bar. She and Jill had woken up earlier to fix breakfast. Jill asked Rebecca but she just grunted and went back to sleep. Carlos' habits were definitely rubbing off on her.  
  
" That's how you get Chris to come to you Jill. But I guess you already know that." Claire joked. Jill laughed as she poured orange juice into 5 glasses.  
  
" Yes, I do. Claire, can you go wake Becca and Carlos up please?" Claire nodded and walked into the living room.  
  
Creeping slowly up to the sleeping couple Claire noticed Juliana playing with her fingers in her baby rocker. Her small mouth already making grins. Claire smiled. She had always loved children but she just couldn't imagine the joy of having one herself. It had been on her mind for a few weeks now. Becca's voice shook her from her thoughts.  
  
" Huh?"  
  
" I said, good morning, Claire." Becca reiterated. Claire stared at her confused before shaking her head and realizing she was saying good morning.  
  
" Oh, I'm sorry Becca. Anyway, Jill told me to tell you guys the food's done. Come on and get a plate." Becca nodded and pulled on Carlos' ear.  
  
" Ow, ow ow. Becca!" Carlos whined as he sat up. She giggled at his response.  
  
" Time to eat. Get up you big baby." Claire just chuckled before walking back into the kitchen. Carlos and Rebecca were still the insane lovebirds. No matter how much they disputed they always ended up making up. Most of the time, making up was of a sexual nature. Claire smirked.  
  
" That's what couples do." Despite her good mood, she was still a bit downtrodden. She wished that it was Leon and her on the floor right now. Determined not to let her mood falter she thought of happier times as she sat back down at the breakfast bar. Jill passed her a plate.  
  
" Jill, remember that time when Leon and Chris were doing those prank calls and scared the shit out of us?" Claire asked with a smile pinching her already broad grin. Jill laughed.  
  
" I remember all too well. Those two jackasses forgot about *69 and we traced the number all the way back to Leon's cell phone. I also remember the lashing we gave them when they got home." Jill ended up laughing so hard so she hit her arm on the countertop.  
  
" Ow!" Claire rolled her eyes at her as Becca and Carlos walked in. Carlos was holding Juliana while Rebecca was opening a jar of baby food for her. Jill turned her attention to the Olivieria family.  
  
" Morning you two." She acknowledged. They returned a similar reply. Jill walked over and kissed Juliana on the forehead.  
  
" Morning baby girl." Rebecca smiled at Jill's motherly like instinct.  
  
Carlos and Rebecca fixed themselves a plate of food and sat at the table with while Jill and Claire sat at the breakfast bar. Seconds later, Chris' heavy footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs into the living room. He walked hastily into the kitchen.  
  
" Morning everybody." He acknowledged as he hastily fixed himself a serving. He poured some orange juice into a canteen and walked over to Jill.  
  
" Morning baby. Gotta go." He gave her a quick brush on the lips. Chris was about to hurry out of the door when Jill pulled him on his arm. He turned around quickly and gave her a quizzical look.  
  
" You're not going to sit with us and eat? You're not that late are you?" Jill asked. Chris nodded.  
  
" I can't Jill. I really am that late and it won't look good for the supervisor to be late. I'm sorry but I really have to go." Jill sighed in understanding .  
  
" All right. See you when you get home. Love you." Chris went in for one more kiss.  
  
" Love you too." With that he pulled away, waved to the others, and was outta there like a bat outta hell. Jill heard the door slam and lock. She sighed.  
  
" Claire, your brother is so damn..." Jill started but Claire shook her head and interrupted her.  
  
" I know I know, Thickheaded. It's one of his most annoying traits besides being way too overprotective." Jill smiled at her. Claire smiled back. Suddenly a thought popped into Jill's head from earlier that morning. She meant to ask Chris before he left.  
  
" Oh yeah, which one of you started on that Jello of mine? There was a huge chunk missing this morning." Jill asked everyone sternly. Claire shrugged and looked at Carlos. Rebecca giggled and looked at Carlos. Carlos looked at the "innocent" look on Jill's face with a dumbfounded expression. Suddenly he just gave himself away.  
  
" Okay, I did it. But Chris got some too. I swear please don't make me come with you girls to aerobics class again. I have bad memories of that instructor." He pleaded. Claire was busy laughing as was Rebecca. But Jill was thinking to herself. She smirked off Carlos' plea.  
  
" Hey, that's not a bad idea. Becca, you and Claire want to go to the gym with me. We can get your clothes when I take you back to your place." Rebecca thought for a second before agreeing. Carlos' head fell. Jill turned to Claire to see what she had to say.  
  
" Nah, I think I going to go home and call Leon and see how he's doing. I might even go around there. I'll go next time Jill." Jill nodded and proceeded to place her plate in the sink.  
  
" Okay, hurry up and get dressed then. And by the way, Carlos you can carry our gym bags and water bottles. We're going to have a long long session."  
  
" Long, long session." Rebecca laughed as she put a hand on his shoulder and laughed before putting her plate in the sink and going upstairs to get dressed.  
  
" Oh man." Carlos' head hit the table. " Leon really needs to come home. I have no way out of this." Claire just laughed.  
  
" Hey, Carlos you want me to keep Juliana for you while Becca and Jill torture you. It's the least I can do. Literally." Claire teased. Carlos groaned.  
  
" Sure, sure. Just don't be surprised when I'm laying next to Leon in the hospital because of them." Claire narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head.  
  
" Not funny." Carlos nodded. " Yeah, you're right. Sorry. Thanks for watching Julie though." Claire waved it off.  
  
" No problem." With that she left to go get out her clothes for the day while Carlos was left to daydream about the torture he was to receive in just a matter of hours.  
  
It was around 9:30 when Jill pulled into the parking lot Claire's familiar parking complex. Claire was holding on to Juliana in the front seat while Carlos and Becca where in the back talking about nonsense. Jill turned off the car and unlocked the doors.  
  
" Okay, I think that the class starts at 10:30 and it's going to take at least 35 minutes to get there so let's make this quick." Jill told Becca and Carlos from up front. Rebecca acknowledged her while Carlos groaned. Claire just smirked and got out of the car.  
  
" Okay, Jill. I'll see you later. Tell my brother I said to take you out somewhere you hear." Claire told her as she started up the stairs. Jill grinned.  
  
" Oh don't worry. I will." Claire was about to turn to go back upstairs when Rebecca called from the car.  
  
" Claire, you forgot Juliana's bag!" Claire turned around and smiled in embarrassment. How was she going to watch a baby without a supply of food and extra clothes and diapers and such. Claire met Carlos halfway back and he handed her the back. He gave her a grateful look.  
  
" Thank you Claire. I don't know if I can take changing anymore diapers. I mean it's bad enough I'm about to be put to shame by a group of very physically fit women. No offense or anything but that can really hurt a man's pride. Know what I mean. Ask Leon you knocked him out before."  
  
Claire burst out laughing. She did in fact knock Leon's lights out one time when Leon and Carlos had taken her and Becca to the gym with them. To say the least, Leon was the butt of many jokes after that. You could always count on Carlos to make you laugh.  
  
" Carlos, please." Claire started but couldn't finish because she was so busy laughing. " Anyway, if I'm not here when you get back then just know that Juliana's safe with me. I'll most likely be at the hospital." Carlos nodded.  
  
" All right. Take care." He told her as he left. Claire waved back to him and the others before walking up to her apartment.  
  
It felt sort of funny walking back into her apartment. Even though they had stopped by last night, walking back into the apartment alone made Claire feel different. Sighing she locked the door and walked to her room. Juliana was once again sleeping. Claire just smiled at the girl. She wasn't fussy or anything just playful and gentle. None of the traits she shared with Claire but she seemed to be at peace with all of them, not just her parents. And that made her feel good.  
  
" Let's see what Leon's up to shall we?" Claire said to herself as she laid down on the bed and placed Juliana on her belly. She reached over for the cordless phone and dialed Leon's room number.  
  
"Uh, hello?" Leon's hoarse voice replied from the other side. Claire smiled hard. No matter how it sounded she loved the sound of Leon's voice. It was so sincere. She thought back to the time when he burned himself with the iron and he screamed outloud. He sounded so sincere then. Sincerely burned.  
  
" How are you baby?" Claire told him from the other line. She could see him smiling from the other line.  
  
" I'm fine. They ran a hell of a lot of tests on me though. Good news is that the damage to my vertebral column wasn't as serious as they thought. I might be able to come home today. Bad news is if they were mistaken I might go into paralysis. But that risk is slim to none." Leon explained.  
  
" How do you feel. Do you feel ready to come home or think you should stay a little longer? You know personally I think the only cure for you is me." Claire joked. Leon chuckled.  
  
" Yeah, I think so too. But I feel ready to come home. I have to go through one more analysis before they can give me the O.K."  
  
" Hmm. What are watching right now?" Claire asked as she laid her hand on Juliana's small one.  
  
" Sportscenter. Do you know some fans at a soccer game in Brazil went crazy over a false call and started a riot? Lots of injuries and like 3 deaths? It's crazy."  
  
" No, I didn't hear about that. Last night after we left the hospital, we all got something to eat and rented some movies. Then we slept over at Chris and Jill's house. It was a sleepover so to speak. I was missing you all night long." Claire told him softly.  
  
" Yeah, I was going to call after the test but afterwards I was so sleepy for the drugs I just passed out. I had this weird dream though." Leon started. Claire sat up a bit. She was intrigued and now she had to have an explanation.  
  
" About what? Let me guess, you and Carlos having that wrestling match in front of millions or people. And you were about to win until I came into the ring wearing nothing but a bra and panties. And you lost." Claire started laughing after saying that. Leon burst out laughing too.  
  
" Huh, when did I tell you about that? Anyway, that wasn't it. It was about me and you back in the Bahamas. And you were missing and I ran into Sherry and she told me that you were pregnant but she didn't know who the father was. And I looked all around for you and when I found you were crying your heart out. And I woke up before you could tell me who. It was strange." Claire was quiet for a minute after that. She was busy thinking about Leon's dream. Finally she answered.  
  
" Leon, you know I'd never cheat on you." Leon sighed.  
  
" I know it's just weird huh? Claire are you pregnant?" Claire smiled at the worry in his voice.  
  
" Not that I know of Leon, no. But I've thinking about it." She told him as she laid eyes on Juliana.  
  
" That's funny. The thought crossed my mind too." Leon said. Claire sighed.  
  
" Well, when you get home we'll talk about it together okay?" Claire told him. " Okay." Leon told her.  
  
" I don't want to go but I feel so sleepy Claire. I don't wanna fall asleep in the middle of a conversation you know." Leon told her with regret. Claire closed her eyes for a second knowing he needed rest but wanting to talk to him forever at the same time.  
  
" I know you're sleepy. Go ahead and get your rest. But if the doctors say it's OK for you to leave call me and let me know." Claire told him sternly.  
  
" I will. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Leon told her with a grin. Claire grinned too.  
  
" And that's not much. Get some rest. Love you."  
  
" Love you too Claire. Bye." With that Leon hung up the phone. Claire just laid there for a minute staring at the ceiling.  
  
She couldn't stop thinking about Leon's dream. Why would he even dream of that? Was it a sign that she would be afraid to tell him if he was pregnant? Would something awful happening to her like rape? She couldn't even bear to think that. Shaking her head she took in a deep breath. She knew not to take things like that so seriously. Smiling at the pictures of her and Leon before leaving for the Bahamas, Claire picked up Juliana slowly from her belly and began to walk to the living room She turned on the t.v. There had to be something on. Talkshows, movies, anything to take her mind of stressful situations. Finally landing on a good movie on Lifetime, she went into the kitchen to fix her some soup and grabbed a sheet from the closet and was soon laying down on the chair with Juliana in her lap. She was slowly waking up.  
  
" It's about time you woke up Juliana." Claire joked as she made herself comfortable. Watching Juliana squirm all around made Claire feel relaxed and peaceful. Like there wasn't a care in the world. She knew that things were looking up. Hopefully she wouldn't be looking too far.  
  
Author's Note: Finally, another chapter over and done with. I honestly don't know how I'm going to end this but want it to be good. Just keep reading and reviewing so I can see how good this turns out. Reviews keep me from banging my head against the desk in failure. Lol. Anyway, hope it was worth the wait. Until next time. 


	19. Where Do We Go From Here?

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Um, not much to say except hope you enjoy this chapter. School sucks. Work sucks. There. Now enjoy this chapter.  
  
Chapter 19- Where Do We Go From Here?  
  
The persistent sound of Juliana crying softly woke Claire up from her short but sweet slumber. Juliana was still on her belly just crying as hard as her little body was able to. Claire was about to rock her to calm her down but then she knew exactly why she was crying.  
  
It was time to change a diaper.  
  
" All right Jules, calm down. Let's see what Becca left in this bag of hers." Claire sat up and laid Juliana on the sofa as she walked back to her room to get the bag.  
  
Finding it on the floor, Claire quickly picked it up and ran back into the living room. Sitting back down she opened the bag up and examined what was inside.  
  
" Okay, we have some diapers, some baby food, wipes, plush toys, milk bottles, etc. etc. I have what I need right here. Only problem is: how do I it?" Claire looked at the little girl as she bit her lower lip. She felt sort of embarrassed at the fact she hadn't ever changed a diaper before. But she had good reason. She was the youngest sibling, she never had to change younger relatives, and she hadn't been around many babies personally in her life. Mostly they were older kids. Sighing, she noticed that Juliana had stopped crying and was looking at her with something that resembled a smirk. It was as if Becca was smirking right at her. It was almost scary.  
  
" Let's give this a try shall we?"  
  
After repeated fumbling and stumbling Claire finally removed the diaper off of Juliana and cleaned her up. But not without fault. There were a few accidents that made Claire want to just run to the bathroom and throw up. She knew that this was a part of motherhood she'd like to get over with quickly. In the end though, Claire triumphed and successfully changed the diaper. Putting everything back into the bag, Claire laid back on the sofa while holding a newly changed Juliana in her lap. It was then that the phone rang.  
  
" Hello?" Claire asked.  
  
" Hi Ms. Redfield, it's Dr. Levy again. You've spoken with me the last couple of days." Before he could go any further Claire interrupted him.  
  
" Is Leon okay?"  
  
" Oh, yes your fiance's okay. He's the one who told me to call you actually. It looks like he won't be coming home tonight after all. We're going to keep him one more night just to be on the safe side. He wants you to come and stay the night with him." Dr. Levy told her. Claire's worried demeanor fell and a smile fell across her face.  
  
" Well, that's good to hear. Is he sleeping?" Claire asked.  
  
" Yes, he's been asleep since he came back from testing. He's been through a lot of exposure these last few days. He told me that he wanted you here."  
  
" Well, I have a few things to take care of first but I'm on my way. Is there anything I should bring from home?" Claire asked.  
  
" Just something comfortable. I'm afraid you're going to have to use that chair again to sleep in." He said with a smile on his face. Claire smirked.  
  
" Yeah, I figured so. Anyway, I'll be there soon. Thanks for all your help. I really do appreciate it." Claire told him sincerely."  
  
" Your welcome. I'll tell the nurses that you're coming. Just walk right in. I have to go now. Best of luck to you and your fiance." With that he hung up. Claire hung up shortly after he did and started to close the blinds to the apartment. It was nighttime now and the city lights were irritating to her.  
  
" I wonder where Jill has taken your parents Jules." Claire stopped herself and smirked.  
  
" Jules. That's my nickname for you. Only to be used by your Auntie Claire."  
  
Knock Knock Knock  
  
" Who is it?" Claire asked from inside. She listened only to hear Carlos tired voice from the other side.  
  
" Carlos, lover of Rebecca slave of Jill." Claire laughed as she opened the door. Carlos was rubbing his head from where Jill had just slapped him and Rebecca was leaning on Carlos' arm practically slumping to the floor.  
  
" Well, it looks like you all had an exciting day out. Jill, what did you do to them?" Claire joked. Jill walked in and sat down on the couch and caught her breath.  
  
" Nothing unusual. I took them to my class. Then we started looking around for a caterer and stuff for the wedding. And from there we stopped for some ice cream. Oh yeah, Carlos almost got hit by a car." Claire looked at Jill hard and confused. One of her friends was about to get hit by a car and she went about it like it was nothing.  
  
" Jill, there are times when your insensitivity to certain things scares me." Jill laughed at her sister-in-law.  
  
" Yeah, I guess. Well. I gotta go. Chris says he wants to do something special for me tonight. So I gotta go home and get changed. You need anything before I go Claire?" Claire shook her head. " No, I'm fine. I'm about to go to the hospital now." Jill leaned on the doorframe.  
  
" Oh, is Leon coming home now?" She asked. Claire smiled.  
  
" Hopefully tomorrow. I'm just going to stay there one more night. I was waiting on you to bring those two back." Claire said pointing to Rebecca and Carlos. Carlos was pretending to fly Juliana around and Rebecca was half asleep on the couch.  
  
" Becca, go home and get some sleep okay. You look like hell." Jill told her sternly. Becca groaned.  
  
" And I feel the same way. Carlos, let's go." Rebecca said as she yawned and went to give Claire and Jill a hug.  
  
" I'll see you two later. And thanks again Claire." Claire smiled.  
  
" No problem." Carlos walked out after her and thanked Claire also. He gave Jill a sarcastic goodbye and Jill just blew him off with a smirk. He was still pissed about earlier that day.  
  
" Bye Claire. I need to get out of here. Call me when Leon gets home all right. I'll throw something for him." Jill told her as she hugged Claire and left. Claire nodded and shut the door behind her.  
  
An hour later Claire was walking down the bright hallway down to Leon's room. She looked sort of funny carrying a duffel bag with her but she didn't care. She was going to be with her fiance. Why should she care about what strangers thought about her? Opening up the door slowly into Leon's room she heard him talking to what seemed like another man. Claire curiously peered over from around the corner and kept quiet so see wouldn't be seen  
  
" Don't you think it's about time you get back to your room Dwayne. I mean you already missed Family Guy. It's over now." Leon chuckled. Dwayne laughed from beside him. Leon was situated on the bed and Dwayne was sitting in a wheelchair right next to him. Claire slowly walked into their view to make herself known. She smiled when she saw Leon jump a bit. Dwayne smiled.  
  
" Hey, Claire. Seems like me and Leon can never stay out of trouble huh?" Claire nodded.  
  
"You two need to take a couple of months off." Leon motioned for Claire to come closer to him.  
  
" Don't worry we are? I see you've brought a sleeping bag." Leon acknowledged. Claire nodded and sat on the bed next to Leon and started to play with his hair.  
  
" Um, I'm going to go back to my room now and try to catch something. Leon, I'm a holla at you later. Claire, you make sure he gets better. I gotta couple of days left in this joint myself. And Leon told me you two are engaged. I better have a front row seat at you all's wedding."  
  
" Don't worry about that Dwayne." Claire told him grinning. He grinned back and rolled himself out of the room.  
  
" The doctors told me you were asleep." Claire told him as she positioned herself to be more comfortable. Leon looked back up at her.  
  
" Oh I was. I just woke up about 20 minutes ago. They said I could go home tomorrow. It seems that whatever damage I had to my spine has cleared up significantly. Dr, Levy says it's a miracle I didn't go into paralysis from my injury."  
  
" Yeah, there seems to be an abundance of those lately. Not that that's a bad thing. Oh yeah, you mom called right before I left. She was just checking up on you. She told me to tell you that she's sorry she couldn't come and see you but you're in their prayers." Leon nodded.  
  
" Mama sure did freak out when she heard the news didn't she?" Leon chuckled. Claire smiled at his boyish expression.  
  
" Yeah, she was screaming so loud over that phone I was ready to hand up. But you know I love Ms. Lena. And little Sarah is adorable." Claire admitted as she thought back to the time when Leon took her back to Los Angeles to meet his family and the friends he had met there. Leon's family was quite "interesting" as Claire had so eloquently put it once.  
  
"Claire?" Leon's voice snapped her out of her daydream. She looked at him and waited for his question.  
  
" Remember on the phone when we were talking about maybe having kids?" Claire nodded.  
  
" Well, do you think we should wait a while longer? You know like Chris and Jill said. Let's have some time to ourselves first. Wait until we're married." Leon said looking into nothingness. He was talking to her but his attention seemed to be elsewhere. Claire looked at him and frowned.  
  
" So you're saying you don't want to try? You just want it to happen. And I don't mean anything by this but you want to be caught by surprise like Becca and Carlos?" Claire countered with annoyance in her voice. Leon knew an argument was coming. It was one of the few times he and Claire did argue.  
  
" No Claire no. I just mean, are we really ready to become parents right now. I mean, we just got engaged a few days ago and the next day I almost get killed. Claire imagine if you were pregnant now and I didn't make it. I can't imagine the burden that would leave on you and the child." Claire interrogating stare eased up as she started to understand.  
  
" I want you to be happy Claire. But if something was to ever happen to me, I want you to be secure to. I think it would be best if we got married first but I'm not against trying if that's what you want." Claire took in the beautiful sight before her before kissing Leon on the forehead.  
  
" I understand that. I understand you. How about we just let it flow and we'll see how things go from here. Maybe it's better if we get caught be surprise." Leon smiled and clasped her hand.  
  
" Yeah, let's do that. As much as I want a kid, I want you too." Claire looked at the clock on the stand. It read 9:37.  
  
" Goodness, I've already been here for half an hour. You'll be out of here before you know it." Claire noticed. Leon nodded and a moment later he was grimacing.  
  
" Claire baby, you're going to have to move a little bit. I gotta go to the bathroom. Bad." With that Leon slowly pulled the sheet off of him and slowly took small steps to the bathroom He was walking pretty well except for the limp that accompanied his walk. Claire got off the bed and sat in the chair as Leon shut the bathroom door.  
  
Moments later Claire could hear the flush of the toilet and see Leon walking out, He made his way back into the bed and smiled at Claire. She smiled back. That was their little thing. In this relationship a smile could mean a lot of things.  
  
" Claire, is their anything in particular you want for Christmas?" Leon asked from the bed. Claire rose her eyes and thought for a second.  
  
" Nothing major. Probably just a new bike. It's been ages since I've ridden one." Leon grinned.  
  
" I thought so. You said you had one in Raccoon but that's when you ran into me and all." Claire chuckled at the memory of her meeting Leon. Right when she opens the door, there's a man about to shoot her in the face. How romantic is that? He saved her though. More than once.  
  
" And we got the hell out of there. Leon I swear I was more scared of your driving than those zombies." Claire admitted with a grin. She then started laughing. Leon threw a ball of paper at her.  
  
" Hey, I did good. If it wasn't for that got damn zombie. The scary thing was that it looked like me." Leon shuddered at the memory. Claire nodded in agreement.  
  
" Yeah, that was scary. Who would've thought we would have gotten this far?" Claire wondered outloud. Leon smirked.  
  
" I don't know. I sure as hell didn't. But I'm glad that we did. I thank the Lord everyday for meeting you Claire. And Sherry and the others. Speaking of them, how are they doing anyway?" Leon asked.  
  
" They're fine. Chris and Jill went out. Becca and Carlos are at home. Guess what? I changed Juliana's diaper today." Claire said with pride leaking out of her voice. Leon burst out laughing.  
  
" Claire, you can't even change a vacuum cleaner bag, let alone a child's diaper. How did you do it?" Leon asked, his tone drenched with sarcasm. Claire sneered at him.  
  
" I did do it you big jerk." She said as she slapped him lightly on the leg. Leon tried to fan her away but she hit him anyway.  
  
" I'm proud of you Claire. You finally learned how to change a diaper." Leon said seriously before laughing again. Their playful banter would continue for another 2 hours.  
  
It was 11:04 when Leon turned off the t.v. Claire must have dozed of while watching t.v with him. He smiled at her peaceful frame on the chair and slowly got out of bed. Limping somewhat over to her, he slowly bent down and kissed her on the forehead. Claire moaned something incoherent in her sleep. Leon brushed her hair back.  
  
" It scares me how much I love you Claire." He said to himself before smiling and crawling back into his bed. After turning off his light he closed his eyes. Tomorrow, he would be on his way home. He was getting tired of sitting in the hospital bed all day. He needed to be home. He needed to be with Claire. Lately, he had been questioning where his and Claire's relationship would go. Now he realized, that he had a lifetime to find out.  
  
Author's Note: First off, gotta thank everyone that reviewed or anyone that's supporting this story. Means a hell of a lot to me. It really does. I'm sorry to say but this story's remaining chapters are limited. I'd say that I'm going to end it in about five chapters, maybe six. After that I may start something new. Tek, as you know, I've been real lazy when it comes to updating lately. Hopefully this chapter will have made up for that. Keep on giving me that well needed support people. All righty then. 


	20. Let Me Outta Here

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Yeah, I'm back. I needed to be inspired. Seems like FF has slowed down a bit but I'll continue on I guess. Anyway, thanks for the continued support since it keeps me sane. Enjoy this chapter.  
  
Chapter 20- Let Me Outta Here  
  
" Man, how is it that you get to leave early but I gotta spend the next two weeks in the damn bed." Dwayne argued as he bumped fist with Leon for the last time in a while. Leon chuckled.  
  
" Lucky, I guess. Don't worry about it. After you get out I know I'll be seeing more of you." Dwayne laughed.  
  
" Damn right. And with a girl like yours I'd be lucky too. She's taking real good care of you eh?" Leon could only smile and nod. At that moment Claire just so happened to walk into the room.  
  
" What are you two talking about?' Claire asked with a smirk plastered on her face. She looked curiously at Dwayne who was trying to stifle a laugh. Leon rolled his wheelchair over to Claire.  
  
" Nothing. Come on Claire. You know what time it is partner." Dwayne just smiled and lifted his fist up to show him.  
  
" Later Kennedy. Claire, take care of my boy." Claire shook her head at him and grinned.  
  
" I will. Bye Dwayne." With that Claire wheeled Leon out of the room and proceeded to the lobby. She had already signed him out so they were on their way to the car.  
  
" Hey, did you tell Dr. Levy we were leaving?" Leon asked Claire before they got to the door.  
  
" Yeah, I talked to him. He's not here right now though. But he wished us the best of luck. Oh yeah, Jill's going to fix dinner for your coming home. She told me to call her when you get back." Leon nodded but stopped for a moment and thought of something.  
  
" Claire, did you get my stuff from storage too?" Claire sighed in slight annoyance. Why couldn't he just be quiet so they get to the car?  
  
" I got everything Leon. You ring's right here." She pulled his ring from the small bag and gave it to him. He placed it on his finger.  
  
" Okay, I'm finished. Let's just go." Claire ruffled his hair.  
  
" It's about time you shut up." Leon turned back to her with mock anger.  
  
" Hey now.!" Claire just chuckled and opened up the car door. She help him get into the passenger's side and folded up the wheelchair and put it in the back seat.  
  
" I'm glad to be going home. It's been too long since I've seen my Playstation. Too long." Leon said to Claire as she buckled herself up. She rolled her eyes at him.  
  
" Yeah, yeah I missed you too." With that she pulled out of the parking lot and started back to their apartment. On the way there they started talking about what might happen at Carlos and Rebecca's wedding. Claire starting getting pissed; however, when Leon kept falling asleep during the conversation. Unfortunately, the effects of the medication were still taking a toll on him. Thirty minutes later, Claire was helping a drowsy Leon up the stairs to their apartment. She fumbled with the keys trying to unlock the door.  
  
" Turning the knob may help, Claire." Leon suggested sarcastically. He was leaning on her trying to support himself. He was still too weak to walk long distances without falling. Claire gave him the look of the devil himself.  
  
" Shut up you! Just be quiet and quit moving before you injure yourself again." Leon grinned inwardly. Yep, he was sure glad to be home. Leon felt the warmth of the apartment hit him in the face as Claire opened the door. Looking around everything was familiar but strangely it was different at the same time. He blinked his eyes once more to adjust to the dim light in contrast to that of the hospital.  
  
" Welcome home, baby." Claire told him sweetly as she kissed him on the cheek. Leon kissed her back in the same way. He didn't need to tell her, she already knew.  
  
" Let me off right here Claire." Leon slowly let go of Claire and slipped onto the couch and pulled the table to him. Reaching for the remote he turned on the t.v and started flipping through channels. Suddenly he stopped.  
  
" Woo, there's a draft in here. Did you leave a window open?" Leon asked. Claire just laughed. He threw her a crazed look.  
  
" What's so funny?" Claire looked him sympathetically.  
  
" Leon, look at what you are wearing?" Glancing down at himself Leon quickly started blushing. He was still in his hospital gown. With addition to a t-shirt but the back was still exposed. And he didn't have the warmest pants in the world. He started to laugh in embarrassment.  
  
" Come on and lay here with me Claire." Leon asked inviting her to snuggle up next to him on the couch. Claire smiled and put the things she was holding on the floor. She made her way over and Leon scooted back some to make room for her. Claire carefully slipped into his embrace. She had her back to him and turned to face him.  
  
" I'm not making you too uncomfortable am I?" She asked. Leon shook his head.  
  
" Nuh uh. You're fine." He tightened his grip on her waist and slowly started to work his fingers down to her navel. He stopped there and rested his hand on her abdomen.  
  
" One day, we're going bring a life into this world Claire. And we're going to raise them together. You hear me." Leon whispered into her ear. Claire sighed and wiggled against him. She smiled. She had been longing for his closeness for too long and wasn't about to let go of this moment. Not a chance.  
  
" I'm so thankful to have met you. I'm even more thankful that we were given a chance to love each other. I think about it now and wonder about all of us. Me, you , my brother and Jill, even Becca and Carlos. We were all for the most part strangers and Umbrella threw us together. I believe it was fate we met in Raccoon City and for all of us to unite and bring them down. Chris and Jill were already pretty much together but after they reunited they sealed that deal. Carlos and Rebecca had serious crushes on each other and those crushes eventually led up to love and me and you.." She stopped and turned back to him.  
  
" Was just a matter of time." Leon finished for her.  
  
" Yeah, Speaking of other things. I need to call Jill before she pitches a fit." Claire reached over the arm of the sofa and grabbed the phone. She quickly dialed the numbers to Jill's house.  
  
" Hello?" was the answer from the other side. Claire rolled her eyes.  
  
" Chris, where's Jill?" Claire asked with annoyance in her tone. Chris huffed over the phone.  
  
" Well, hello to you too Claire. Jill's right here." Claire heard some shuffling and a few seconds later she heard Jill's voice on the phone.  
  
" Hey Claire. What's up?" Jill asked with a yawn. Claire smirked.  
  
" Didn't you tell me to call you when Leon got home?" Jill's nonchalant tone went into overdrive as she started getting excited.  
  
" Leon's home? That's great. Now you can stop moping around here and stay home with him. How long has it been? 2 weeks since you guys last had sex." Claire was shocked at Jill upfrontness about the situation.  
  
"Jill!" Claire gasped. Leon just chuckled. He had heard what Jill had said over the phone. Jill called out to him over the phone.  
  
" Hey Leon. Glad that you're home." Claire relayed the message back to him.  
  
" Jill says, she's glad you're home." Leon smiled and nodded. " I missed you too Jill. What about squarehead? How's he doing?" He asked over the phone.  
  
" Same as usually. Being a pain in the ass. I still love him though." Leon laughed. " I know you do. That's something we both have in common huh. These Redfields and their temper." Leon joked. Jill laughed. Claire glared at Leon cause him to stop laughing.  
  
" Okay Jill, I'm going to take it easy for a couple of days. You guys come by and see me when you can." Leon told her as he wrapped up the conversation. Jill acknowledged and told him and Claire bye before hanging up the phone.  
  
" Now where were we?" Claire asked jokingly as she slid back into her spot in Leon's arms. He repositioned him to where he was before and wrapped an arm around Claire tightly. He winced from the tiny hint of pressure on his back but he blew it off.  
  
" Um, right about here." Leon answered for her as he placed a soft kiss on her neck and slowly continued to ease down. Claire turned so she was facing him and naturally allowed him to access the inside of her mouth. Leon did likewise and as they made out the voices coming from the t.v didn't even faze them.  
  
In the back of Claire's mind she was fighting the urge not get up and jump onto of Leon and do it right there. She had been strong these last few days and now that he was back with her she didn't have to be so strong anymore. Knowing that her actions might send Leon back to the ER she carefully wrapped her arms around him and moved closer. Leon did the same.  
  
Maybe it was the fact that they were making out on the couch or the heater was getting hotter but Claire was getting hot all over. She grinned as Leon bit on her lip as he took a breath. Leon smiled and proceeded to continue. He continued to kiss her as he worked his hands down the well-defined curvatures of her body. Lightly reaching down into her pants he pulled on her underwear. Claire shook her head causing Leon to sigh but none the less they continued making out.  
  
About two hours later, Leon and Claire were still on the couch watching t.v. There wasn't anything else to do really. And besides, they had just had the most intimate make out session ever. Leon was sitting up now and Claire's head was resting in his lap. As Leon flipped through the channels, there was a knock at the door. Claire reluctantly got up and walked to see who it was.  
  
" Who is it?" She heard Rebecca on the other side.  
  
" Becca and Carlos." Claire smiled as she let them inside. Rebecca's eyes widen at the sight of Leon on the sofa.  
  
" Leon! You're back home. It's good to see you're okay." Leon returned a smile.  
  
"Thanks Becca. How have you and Commando been?" Carlos' ears perked up and he went to sit in the chair next to Leon. Juliana was in his arms fidgeting around.  
  
" We're doing fine. We missed ya man." Carlos told him as she made room for Becca to sit next to him. Claire came to sit next to Leon.  
  
" Well, what brings you two up here?" She asked as she held on to Leon's hand. Becca and Carlos just stared at each other and chuckled.  
  
" Pure boredom." They said at the same time. Claire rose an eyebrow and Leon smirked.  
  
" Well, did you have something in mind?" Claire asked. She had a weary look on her face. Usually some type of plan by these two wasn't good.  
  
" Yeah, when was the last time you played truth or dare?" Leon and Claire both exchanged funny looks at each other. Leon replied on the behalf of both of them.  
  
" You're on."  
  
As the evening went on, the four of them were engaged in a very personal and embarrassing game of Truth or Dare. To make a long story short, some truths should never come to light and some dares should never be attempted. In the end though, the game ended with the four of them laughing and talking about whatever. It was going on 10:40 when Rebecca and Carlos were getting ready to leave.  
  
" Oh man, I gotta go back to work tomorrow. I'm beat." Carlos yawned as he stretched his arms out. Rebecca was hugging Claire bye while holding Juliana in her other arm.  
  
" That was fun. We should do that more often." Rebecca told her refering to their Truth or Dare game. Claire nodded.  
  
" We will. Christmas is right around the corner you know. We should really get started on the shopping Rebecca." Rebecca agreed.  
  
" I know, but I've got enough to worry about this month as it is. Bye Claire. Bye Leon." Claire and Leon both said their goodbyes as Rebecca left out of the door. Claire sighed as she closed the door.  
  
" Those two can make anything interesting." Claire said as she walked back over to Leon and prepared to help him up. Leon just nodded.  
  
" I know. Let's go to bed. I feel that medicine working against me." Claire put his arm around her shoulder and helped him up and together they limped to the bedroom.  
  
" Okay, you're going to have to slide into the bed." Claire told him. Leon groaned but did as he was told. Claire pulled the covers over him.  
  
" I'll be out in just a minute. Let me change." She told him as she went into the bathroom to change. Leon had already started to doze off.  
  
" Leon?" Claire asked as she came out of the bathroom. Leon slowly opened his eyes. " Yeah?" She slipped into the bed with him. " Just checking to see if you were still awake." Leon smirked.  
  
" Well, not in a few minutes. But yeah I am. Goodnight Claire." Claire moved her head to rest on his chest. God how she missed this.  
  
" Night Leon." With that she turned off the lights and snuggled up close to Leon. She felt better than she had felt in days. Leon was back home, everything was right with the world, and she still had another month till she started back school. Claire fell into a sweet slumber as she melted away in the arms of her husband to be.  
  
Author's Note: There it is. Chapter 20 to Miracles. I got inspired like 2 hours ago to finish this chapter and I finally did. As usual, I couldn't go without thanking all of you for the support, even if you flamed or didn't review just knowing that you're reading the story is good enough for me. I'd like to see some reviews though. Anyway, so I don't get any crap later, I'm going to tell you now. The Next Chapter is going to skip to 2 days before Becca and Carlos' wedding. Christmas will have just past. So with that said and done, take a minute to reflect and draw your attention to the lower left hand corner of the page. Oh yeah, Diddly Day finished SCB. That's a miracle all it's own. Tek, got nothing but love for ya. Thanks a lot for giving me something to look forward to with Aftermath. Now Hell Yeah. 


	21. I Dream of Jilly

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Okay, we have finally made it to the near end of the story. After this chapter there will only be three more left. Sad I know. I'm going to try to wrap it though. Hope you enjoy.  
  
Chapter 21- I Dream of Jilly  
  
" Jillian." Chris mocked from the bed smirking as Jill narrowed her eyes. She was getting dressed to go with Claire to pick up Sherry. Leon was home sleeping.  
  
" Will you stop calling me that?" Jill groaned as she went to fix herself up in the mirror. Chris laughed at her annoyance.  
  
" Now why would I do that? You look sexy when you're angry." Jill rolled her eyes at him at the mirror. Chris saw her reflection and chuckled.  
  
" Aw come on Jill. You know I love you. But tell me, why don't you like your first name?" Chris asked intrigued as he sat up and walked over to her. He slid his muscular arms around her waist as she continued to brush her hair. Chris kissed her lightly on the neck. Jill moaned as she became a bit aroused. Chris knew what the hell he was doing.  
  
" Because.." Jill started. Chris kissed her again but on the cheek this time. Jill smiled.  
  
" Because it makes me sound old. It sounds like an older person's name. I'd prefer Jill." Chris tisked.  
  
" Jillian doesn't sound old. In fact, it sounds cute to me. And if it's cute to me than it is definitely something to look into." Chris joked as he gave her a reassuring squeeze. Jill smirked.  
  
" Oh you're just saying that because you're my husband." Jill denied. Chris shook his head.  
  
" No, really. I like the name Jillian. And I'd like it if you would atleast let me call you that without giving me the evil eye atleast one time. Besides that's what it says on the marriage license." Jill starting beaming.  
  
" It does doesn't it? And just to let you know. I didn't mind you calling me that. I just wanted to see your attempts to make me happy. You're always trying to make me happy." Jill grinned as she leaned back into his chest. Chris cocked his head as he realized what she was doing the whole time. Taking advantage of him for her own personal amusement.  
  
" You're one in 6 billion and something people Jilly." Chris told her as he blew a breath into her ear. Jill looked at the reflection of themselves in the mirror.  
  
" Now that's a nickname I'll never tire of. As much as I want to lay in your embrace all day, Claire's gonna kill you if you don't let me go so she can pick up Sherry." Chris sighed as he slowly let go.  
  
" Let her kill me." Chris joked as he walked into the bathroom to start running his shower. Jill followed him inside and dipped his head inside the cold water. Chris screamed from the coldness.  
  
" Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh Jill! It's cold, it's cold it's cold." Chris whined. Jill rolled her eyes.  
  
" Aw, quit crying you big baby." Jill laughed. Chris turned around with a evil look. Jill looked at him and shook her head while backing up slowly.  
  
" Nuh uh, you don't want to do that Chris." She started laughing as she attempted to run away. She broke into a sprint down the hallway and down the stairs. Chris was right behind.  
  
" Come out and play Jill." He sang as he noticed Jill hiding in the closet beside the door. He pretended to be going to the front door when he quickly opened the closet and saw Jill smiling playfully at him. Chris swept her out of the closet cause her to squeal. They just smiled at each other for a minute taking in each other. Chris suddenly kissed her catching her off guard. Jill screamed.  
  
" Chris, you're still wet!" He chuckled.  
  
" Payback." Jill smirked and started to walk out of the door on her way to the car.  
  
" Hey, we might be out a while helping Rebecca out so just call my cell if you need me okay?" Chris nodded.  
  
" I love you Jillian." He said with a joking tone but he meant it. Jill sighed as if she was giving up but smiled nonetheless.  
  
" I love you too Chris. You better not do anything stupid while I'm gone." With that she got in the car, smiled at Chris' mischievous expression, and drove off.  
  
2 Hours Later  
  
Chris had gotten dressed, eaten breakfast, and was now home watching a very interesting program on the travel channel. How to Make the Best of Your Trip Down Under was the name. Chris had been planning a trip for him and Jill for months and Australia was definitely something new to the both of them. Chris had the trip paid off and everything. He just needed to work up a way to surprise her. But right now he really needed something to do.  
  
" Let me see what Carlos is up to?" He said to himself as he dialed Becca and Carlos' number. The phone rang briefly.  
  
" Hello?" Carlos asked. Chris could hear the sound of Juliana crying in the background.  
  
" It's me Chris. I'm bored as hell." Carlos sighed in agreement. " Yeah, Claire and Jill came by here and snatched up my girl. I'm bored too. You wanna swing by Leon's and see if he wants to do something. I'm pretty sure he can move on his own now. He just needs some support every once in a while." Chris thought it over.  
  
" Yeah, sure. I'll be over in a minute. You got anything in mind?" He asked. Carlos paused for a minute.  
  
" Let's go see movie Kill Bill. I heard it was like four stars. A classic." Chris chuckled.  
  
" Carlos, any movie with a healthy dose of violence is your boat. Even if there is no plot." Carlos laughed as he realized this was true.  
  
" As true as that may be Chris, you can't deny the truth. Action surpassed logic and reason. You can quote me on that." Chris snorted at Carlos' lame attempt at philosophy.  
  
" Yeah whatever. You call Leon and see if he's up. I'm on the way over. Later." Chris told him. Carlos chuckled one more time.  
  
" Later." With that the two of them hung up and Chris picked up his keys and prepared to drive off. Carlos on the other hand had his hands full trying to feed Juliana without being covered in her regurgitation.  
  
Knock Knock Knock  
  
" What's up Redfield?" Carlos called as he opened the door up for Chris. Chris slapped hands with him.  
  
" Nothing much. I see you got in touch with Leon." Chris said as he noticed Leon on the couch with Juliana. He was rubbing noses with her. Chris grinned.  
  
" You're doing a lot better I see Kennedy. What time can we be expecting that crazy sister of mine to come back?" Leon smiled and shrugged.  
  
" Haven't a clue. They said that they were going to get their bridesmaid dresses with Rebecca so it may be hours. And besides Sherry's coming back today." Carlos slapped his hands together.  
  
" Well, I called the movie theater and if we want to catch the movie we're going to have to make it quick. It starts in 40 minutes." Chris and Leon nodded. Chris looked around and noticed something pretty funny. He started laughing.  
  
" What's so damn funny?" Leon questioned as the three of them started walking out of the door. Chris shook his head.  
  
" We look like those three guys off of Three Men and a Baby. That old movie." Leon started laughing as well as Carlos.  
  
" We surely do. Come on, let's roll."  
  
With the girls out doing whatever, the guys figured they might as well have just as much fun. Even if little Juliana was in tow. They made it to theater 10 minutes prior to start time and rushed to get some refreshment and find a good seat. Carlos had bought Juliana's ear muffs so she wouldn't damage her ears. All in all the movie was fantastic and the three of them were engaged in a very heated discussion afterwards. It was going on six when Chris' cell phone rang.  
  
" Hello?" Chris could hear Claire on the other end. She sounded a little pissed off.  
  
" Hey big brother! We've been looking all over for you. We've been calling for the past couple of hours. And are you with Leon and Carlos?" Chris winced for her sudden outburst.  
  
" Calm down Claire, the three of us went to the movies. We figured you wouldn't be back till later tonight. Anyway, what's up cause where on the way to your place now."  
  
" Don't come to the house. Meet us at Outback by the mall. We're treating Rebecca and Carlos to dinner before their wedding on Friday. Because they won't be able to see each other tomorrow night. You got me?" Claire asked. Chris smiled.  
  
" Yeah, Claire I got you. You wanna talk to Leon?" Chris asked as he glanced at Leon and Carlos engaged in a conversation.  
  
" Yeah, let me give him a piece of my mind? You guys are fresh aren't you? You don't need to change or anything." Chris laughed.  
  
" Claire, we just went to the movies, it's not like we just came from the gym or something. Here's Leon now." Chris tapped Leon on the shoulder and handed the phone to him. Chris and Carlos listened intently.  
  
" Hey Claire I'm.... I know I should have told you...... We had to turn off the phones because.... Okay then.... That's great.... Adam's here with Sherry..... Yes baby........ I love you too.... Chris, Jill want's to talk to you."  
  
" Yes Jilly?" Chris asked. Jill smirked.  
  
" I don't think I have to say much since Claire has done the job for me and Rebecca. But you guys need to hurry up because the waiter said he can't hold our table too much longer. See you when you get here. Love you."  
  
" Love you too Jill." With that Chris hung up the phone and folded it back into his pocket. Carlos started snickering.  
  
" You guys sound like something straight out of Guiding Light. It's hiliarious." Chris gave him a dirty look and Leon gave him the finger.  
  
" Shut up and drive." Juliana's face contorted into what looked like the beginning of a smile.  
  
Chris instantly spotted Jill as he walked into the restaurant with Leon and Carlos. She was sitting alone while Claire and the others where most likely waiting on them. Jill however was engaged in what looked like a vivid conversation with some dude. He looked like the well distinguished gentlemen. Very well dressed and kept up. He also looked like he wasn't a total wimp. He looked like he could very easily defend himself. Chris knew that was a huge turn on for Jill. As Carlos and Leon made their way over to their counterparts Chris was fuming. He started to clench his fist together. He wasn't mad at Jill he was pissed at whoever this dude that was obviously trying to hit on her. And by the looks of things he was succeeding. Chris crept closer and closer until he was only a few feet away from them. He could hear the end of the conversation.  
  
".... I would ask you out Jill." Jill blushed and smiled at him.  
  
That was it! Chris didn't take a second to think as he prepared to go bash this asshole's face in. The stranger looked up to see Chris seething and apparent coming his way. Jill looked at his expression and turned around.  
  
She gasped.  
  
" Oh no you don't Chris!" She practically yelled as she jumped in front of him. Chris cursed under his breath as he glanced at the very scared young man but calmed a bit at Jill's touch. Claire and the other's had noticed now and were on their way over.  
  
" Chris, what in the hell is wrong with you?!" Jill shouted at him. She looked around to see the other people staring at her. She motioned for the stranger and Chris to follow her outside.  
  
" Jill, the guy was obviously hitting on you and by the looks of things it looked like you were enjoying it. Am I right?!" Chris shot back. Jill got in his face.  
  
" NO! You're absolutely wrong! If you would have waited just a bit longer you would have seen that I was giving him advice!" Chris could only look at her.  
  
" Advice?" Jill sighed angrily.  
  
" Yes, you moron advice. James is a coworker of mine that I help set up with a friend of mine name Teresa. While we were waiting for you guys to show James asked me for advice on what he should do for Teresa since this was their first date. What you heard was just his way of thanking me although I'll admit it was a bit flattering." Chris looked to James to confirm what she had said. He nodded.  
  
" Mr. Redfield, I would never try to hit on Jill. Especially the way she talks about you guys marriage at work. A lot of us are envious of your relationship. Rest assure it was only advice nothing more." Ironically as soon as he said that Teresa just happened to be approaching them. James turned around and smiled at her as he offered his hand to her. She accepted. She also waved to Jill. Jill managed to give a small smile back. Chris just looked at the ground.  
  
" I feel like a jackass." He admitted solemnly. Jill lifted his head up.  
  
" At this point in time, you are. But seriously Chris, do you not trust me enough as to where you have to beat up every damn male I talk to. Huh?" Chris remained silent.  
  
" When I say I love you I mean it Chris. No one or nothing will changed that. You need to realize that. Now I think we need to apologize for embarrassing the others in there. And I think I need an apology too as well as James." Chris nodded.  
  
" You're right Jill. I do need to apologize. I'm sorry. I just felt like I needed to prove to him that you were already taken. Even if it meant bashing his face in. Forgive me?" Chris asked as he moved his hand to her hers and started to rub her fingers. Jill smiled at him playing with her ring finger.  
  
" Yeah, I forgive you." Chris didn't need to hear anymore. He leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss that probably told more than he could express by words at the moment. Neither of them noticed the gang of faces smashed against the door watching them.  
  
As Chris and Jill walked back in Jill noticed the smirking faces of Leon, Carlos, Sherry, and Adam and the knowing faces of Claire and Rebecca.  
  
" What?" Jill asked playing dumb. Rebecca spoke up. " No need to explain. We accept your apology." Jill was stunned.  
  
" You guys heard?" Claire chuckled. " It was very touching. My brother can be so sweet sometimes." At that Carlos and Adam burst into laughter.  
  
" Chris, you couldn't even say hi. You were totally caught up with Jill." She acknowledged as she smiled at him. Chris blushed.  
  
" Well.." Chris started but Leon interrupted.  
  
" No need. Come on I'm hungry." At that he started to get up and walk to the designated table. Claire got up and helped him. Sherry and Adam followed hand in hand. Only Carlos and Rebecca remained.  
  
" Me and Rebecca wanna thank you two." Carlos said with Juliana in his arms. Jill looked confused.  
  
" For what?" She asked. Carlos grinned.  
  
" I know this sounds corny but we wanna have a marriage like yours." Rebecca smiled and nodded in agreement. With that they left leaving Chris and Jill speechless. Chris looked at her. She looked at him. Almost automatically they intertwined their hands together and smiled.  
  
Dinner went by fairly well except for the occasional joke and snicker from Carlos. Other than that everyone just pretty much enjoyed each others company. Sherry told them about how she was doing and how Adam came to visit her and all. They even talked about Juliana for a while. And of course the Bahamas. Afterwards, the rest of the gang decided to find something to do but Chris and Jill went home.  
  
Pulling up into the driveway Chris turned of the car and sighed but started laughing. Jill stared at him.  
  
" What's so funny?" She asked smiling.  
  
" You told me not to do anything stupid today." Jill chuckled at the truth of his statement.  
  
" Yeah I did. Just goes to show you have the hardest head." With that the couple walked into the house and welcomed the warm air. The air outside was bitterly cold. Walking upstairs and sitting on the bed Chris sat there admired Jill as she stared likewise at him. After taking of her shoes she managed to jump and pull him down to the bed with her in one swift movement. Chris didn't hesitate one bit.  
  
" I love you Chris. Not just today or tomorrow. Forever." Chris welcomed the closeness of their bodies to one another as they rolled on the bed while making out feeling for more and more of each other.  
  
" I love you too Jillian." Instead of sighing or rolling her eyes at the sound of her full first name Jill smiled devilishly and kissed him hard. There was nothing more that needed to be said. From then on Jill wasn't embarrassed by her name because Chris was right. It did in fact say Chris and Jillian Redfield on the marriage license.  
  
Author's Note: Oh man, it's amazing what you can do when you're inspired. I wrote this chapter in the span of two days. I think that's a good thing. Well, that also means the end is closer. I can't begin to describe how thankful I am for the support of this story as well as my others. I may have lost some reviewers, gained some reviewers, but to all of you who've given me a chance I thank you. Tek, special thanks to you for continuing to keep me inspired. You're a great friend indeed. Diddly Day, you mean as much to this story as I've meant to yours and I'm guessing that's a lot. Lol. Anyway, please keep reading and review because deep inside you really want to. Okay, I'm through being sentiment. Next chapter will definitely be one to remember. Until Next Time. 


	22. Beer, Strippers, and Family

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: Damn it I've come along ways. I think so anyways. But this almost it. The End. The next chapter will conclude the story. I'm not so sure if I'm going to still do an epilouge or not. I may end it as is. I'll leave that up to you. Well here it is. Chapter 22, my God 22, of Miracles.  
  
Chapter 22- Beer, Strippers, and Family  
  
" Ay, Carlos! Mama said stop being a burro and help her off of this plane.!" Carlos, along with Rebecca, the rest of the gang, and a host of strangers turned to the source of the loud voice that was coming from the gate. Carlos jumped out from his seat with a shocked but happy look on his face.  
  
" Alejandro! Como estas? Y mama tu?" Rebecca looked on with a weary smile. So this was Carlos' brother huh? She could see the resemblance. Alejandro noticed Rebecca standing next to Carlos after pulling back from hugging his brother. He looked at her and then back at Carlos and smiled.  
  
" You must be the one my brother has given up his bachelorhood to." He joked. Rebecca giggled a bit.  
  
" Yeah, that would be me. I'm Rebecca." Alejandro pulled her into a hug cause Rebecca to squeal a bit in surprise. Carlos chuckled.  
  
" That's just his way of making friends Becca." Rebecca chuckled half- heartedly as she patted Alejandro on the back. He was squeezing the breath outta her. He finally caught the drift and let her go. Chris and Jill were shaking their heads and Leon and Claire were too busy laughing.  
  
" Welcome a la familia, Rebecca. I'm Alejandro. Hey, Carlos where's some food at around here?" Carlos gave him glance to the food court as he went to help his mother at the gate. The rest of the gang followed him. Jill walked up to Rebecca.  
  
" So that was you're future brother in-law?" She asked grinning. Rebecca could only nod. She was still wondering how she would get used to this herself.  
  
" I'm going to meet Ms. Oliviera now. Where's Juliana?" Rebecca asked. Jill pointed over to Sherry who was watching t.v with Adam. Rebecca nodded thankfully as she proceeded over to where Sherry was.  
  
" Sherry, I'm going to take Juliana to meet her grandmother." Sherry looked up to her.  
  
" Oh, okay." With that she handed her over. Rebecca admired her daughter for a second before walking over to Carlos and his mother.  
  
" I missed you mama." Carlos told her as he helped her sit down in a comfortable chair. She hugged him back.  
  
" I've missed having you around too, miho. But I see that America has given you something that Venezuela could not. Are these the members of that group you told me about.?" Ms. Juliana asked nodding to Chris, Jill, Leon, and and Claire. Carlos grinned.  
  
" Yes, mama. They're like my other family. This is Jill and Chris." He pointed out to his mother. Chris smiled thoughtfully while Jill went to hug the older woman.  
  
" It's nice to meet you Ms. Juliana. I owe my life to your son and am thankful to have him as a friend." Jill told her sincerely. Ms. Juliana hugged her back and smiled back. She glanced at Chris.  
  
" You two married?" She asked rather bluntly.  
  
" Yeah." Chris told her with a hint of pride in his voice. Jill smirked. Juliana grinned at him.  
  
" I could tell be the way you glanced at Carlos when Jill was talking to me. You two didn't get off to the best of terms did you?" Chris rubbed the back of his head and grinned.  
  
" No, we didn't. You have good insight." Juliana shook her head.  
  
" No, my late husband gave the same look to my first one. You learn to read people with age." Next Leon and Claire came up to meet her. Leon offered his hand out.  
  
" I'm Leon Kennedy. Carlos' right hand man so to speak. It's nice to me you Ms. Juliana." Juliana brushed his hand off and grinned at him.  
  
" Oh come on with the formal introductions. Just hug this old lady." With that Juliana suddenly pulled Leon into a hug. Claire's smile was growing wider and wider at the scene. Juliana let go of Leon and invited Claire to greet her.  
  
" I'm Claire." She told her as she leant in to give her a hug. Juliana nodded and pulled away.  
  
" You smell good. What scent is that?' She asked. Claire thought for a second.  
  
" Oh, this is Berry Splash. It just came out." Juliana nodded.  
  
" You and me go shopping before this trip over okay?" Claire laughed and she looked at Juliana's serious expression.  
  
" Okay." Claire agreed. Juliana acknowledged.  
  
" Where's my daughter in-law and my granddaughter? Eh Carlos?" Carlos looked around to see Rebecca walking over to them.  
  
" Right here mama." Carlos opened up his arms as Rebecca made her way up to him. She smiled when she noticed Juliana looking at her thoughtfully.  
  
" So this is Rebecca. You're a beautiful young girl. I'm glad to see Carlos has some sense unlike his brother Alejandro." With that she beckoned for Rebecca to come over to her. Juliana embraced her in a super tight hug similar to Alejandro's. She then kissed her on the cheek as she pulled away.  
  
" I want you two to come see me afterwards okay?" Rebecca nodded.  
  
" Yes, Ms. Oliviera." Juliana shook her head.  
  
" No, no, call me mama. You're going to be my daughter in-law. Might as well get some practice. That goes for the rest of you too. Okay?"  
  
" Yes, mama." They all replied in unison.  
  
" Now, where's little Juliana?" Mama asked anxiously. Rebecca picked her from Jill's arms and handed Juliana to her grandmother. Mama started to cry a bit.  
  
" My goodness, she looks like me. Except for that mouth. That's all you Rebecca." Rebecca grinned.  
  
" No, mama. Call me Becca." Juliana grinned back at her.  
  
It was going on 6: 40 when the gang finally pulled up into Chris and Jill's driveway. One by one everyone began to file out of the two cars.  
  
"Alejandro, come help me with mama!" Carlos yelled as he helped his mama out of the car. Unfortunately, it was in vain because Alejandro had already went into the house behind Chris and Jill and was exploring it with no kind of permission granted. Leon climbed out of the car behind him and proceeded to help him.  
  
" I can't help but wonder where that boy gets his personality from." Juliana chuckled referring to her older son. Rebecca, who was getting out of the car laughed.  
  
" Trust me mama, Carlos has his hidden habits. Like he used to be scared when I tried to play with his hair the first time we started dating. He literally jumped up and yelped. It was so funny.' Juliana laughed.  
  
" That's because I tied his hair into a ponytail one time when he was younger and somebody mistook him for a girl. He's been weary of it ever since." Carlos rolled his eyes and groaned. Leon tried to keep a straight face but failed. He burst into hysterics.  
  
" That's good stuff. Mama, do you have any pictures of this? I've got use this for something." Juliana thought for a second.  
  
" Come to think of I think I just might. Thank goodness I brought the photo album." She grinned. Carlos' eyes bulged.  
  
" Mama! You bought that thing." He groaned as he followed her into the house with the others.  
  
" Juliana.. I mean mama?" Chris grinned sheepishly as she gave him the look. He rubbed the back of his head. She smiled back at him.  
  
" Yes, Chris,"  
  
" Would you like to settle into your bedroom now? We are about to leave." Juliana nodded.  
  
" Yes, it has been a long trip. Do you and your wife have a place to sleep? I don't want to intrude." Chris shook his head.  
  
" Don't worry about us. We'll be fine." At that moment, Jill walked up the stairs.  
  
" Come on mama, I'll show you to the room." As they continued down the hall, Alejandro jumped out of the bathroom.  
  
" Whoa! Mama we gotta come visit Carlos more often. They're living the life." He said with the kind of joy a person with a headache would after finding a case full of asprin. Juliana slapped him in the back of the head.  
  
" You fool! Stop acting like a child. Now go and spend some time with your brother before I make you keep your niece all night." With that Alejandro's expression flopped and he nodded as he proceeded down stairs. Jill just smirked.  
  
" He's supposed to be the older one?" Juliana shook her head.  
  
" Sometimes I wonder if I've ever dropped him?"  
  
After getting Juliana and little Juliana situated, everyone just took the time to sit down and talk. Mainly about tomorrow. Also, after a little enforced persuasion the guys ended up dragging Adam away from Sherry. The two of them were working a puzzle. Now they were in the front room about to leave for the night.  
  
" Okay, it's time for us men to head out. You can't have bad luck before the big day. This time Leon and Claire won't be making out in the back of the car right?" Chris said as he sat up glaring at the couple. Leon and Claire looked at each other and smirked. Claire grinned and moved her eyebrows up and down..  
  
" Right. This time we won't make out in the car." She said with a very unbelievable tone of voice.  
  
" Yeah, Claire. You really got me. Anyway, let's head out." With that Chris walked over to Jill, pulled her over to him and gave a hard kiss on the mouth. Jill, who was caught off guard by his forcefulness, was wide eyed. But she closed them realizing that she wanted to kiss him just as forcefully. Soon the two of them were looking around at the others who had stares on their faces.  
  
" What?" Chris asked lamely. Carlos smirked.  
  
" What was that? Me and Becca can do better." Rebecca turned to him but she couldn't react. Carlos had already seized her mouth with his and was definitely putting up some competition to Chris and Jill. Rebecca was practically turning blue. Carlos noticed her shortness of breath and pulled away. He grinned at her cluelessness. Rebecca was speechless.  
  
" You gonna kiss me like tomorrow?" She asked taking in ragged breaths. At that the whole room erupted in laughter. Adam coughed in the background.  
  
" Um, if we don't get moving they might as well lock us in the basement until morning." Adam told him. Sherry grinned at the thought.  
  
" He's right. We leave now." Leon told them as he kissed Claire goodbye and started out towards the car. After a few more mintutes of goodbye all the men were on their way to Leon and Claire's apartment. Or so they thought.  
  
Back to the Ladies  
  
In a twenty minute time span, Jill and Claire had managed to whip up a small buffet table of fingerfoods and drinks. And of course Rebecca's favorite, Lemon Meringue Pie. Mama Juliana had woken up and decided to spend time with them. While watching some movie on Lifetime, the women were conversating about just about everything.  
  
"Sherry, how serious are you and Adam now?" Claire asked taking a sip of her Hawaiian Punch. Jill and Rebecca focused hard on seventeen year old also. Sherry could only sigh as she smiled. Juliana smirked.  
  
" Oh, it's serious." She joked.  
  
" Like a heart attack." Rebecca added. Jill laughed softly.  
  
" Looks like she's suffering from a case of teenage love ladies." Jill said as she looked at the clock. Sherry threw a cracker at her.  
  
" Shut up Jill. Yeah, I like him a lot. I may even go as far as to say this feeling may grow to love one day." Jill laughed even harder.  
  
" You really do like him. The slightest joke and your defending yourself." The others nodded in agreement. Sherry put her face in her hands.  
  
" Rebecca, you seem tense." Jill acknowledged. She smiled a little.  
  
" No, I'm just a little excited. I'm getting married can you believe it?"  
  
" No, I can not." Jill admitted. " But I'm happy that you are."  
  
Knock Knock Knock  
  
" I'll get it." Claire chimed as she got up and answered the door. There was a very attractive guy in a business suit standing in the doorway with a briefcase. Claire looked him up and down and made an approving sound. The guy smirked at her.  
  
" May I use the phone? My car just broke down. I need to call a cab." The stranger asked.  
  
" Sure. Go right ahead." Claire told him as she moved out of the way. As h e walked over to the phone, the other females eyes followed him. Sherry noticed the man nodded to cd by his briefcase and with his eyes he told her to put it in the cd player. She grinned. After dialing a fake number and hanging up Rebecca spoke to him.  
  
" Do you need any help?" The stranger smiled.  
  
" Yeah, could you turn the air on because it's about to get hot in here." With that loud dancing music boomed from the stereo as he started his routine. Rebecca's eyes became as large as saucers as her started to remove his jacket and short exposing his broad chest. Jill and Claire made whooping sounds and Sherry laughed. Juliana even start smiling as she watched the young man intensely. After a few suggestive movements and removing his business pants, he began to flex his muscles. He was well built. That was enough to send Rebecca over the edge. And after realizing that her was in nothing but tights Rebecca closed her eyes as she started laughing in surprise.  
  
" Oh my God," Rebecca said as she felt along his torso.  
  
" Hurry up with him Becca. I want some of him too." That came from Juliana.  
  
Back to the guys  
  
" Hey Leon, we are no where near the house. Where are you going?" Carlos asked abit weary as he noticed the mischevious look on Leon's face.  
  
" Carlos my boy. This is the last night of you're real life. And we're going to make sure you don't remember it because doing so would not have a good outcome." Carlos was left speechless as he looked out the window only to see women everywhere. Alejandro gasped.  
  
" Women. This is Heaven on Earth." Chris too could not retain his glee from seeing the many women going to same destination as them.  
  
" Yes, that is a very good description." Adam just smiled. He was in paradise.  
  
Leon and Chris had managed to get Carlos' party in the VIP section of the bar. Women were everywhere. With practically nothing on. It was heaven. The waiters looked like models straight out of a magazine. Cute faces, well proportioned body, and other assets were accentuated perfectly. And the supply of beer was endless.  
  
" Leon. Chris. You guys are the best man." Carlos said as the woman in front of him continued to dance in front of him. Carlos loved Rebecca with all his heart but for a man to not enjoy an opportunity such as this was unheard of. Leon was busy getting a lap dance from on the girls on the other side of the room. His eyes were glassy from all of the alcohol in his system. Chris was getting a very good look at one of the women as she danced for Adam. Hey he had just turned eighteen a few months and this experience just happened to come with the package. It was crazy. Alejandro was at the bar with two girls on his lap drinking a beer.  
  
" Chris. You haven't had a beer yet. Come on and have a drink." Chris shook his head.  
  
" No thanks. One of us has to be sober remember."  
  
" Here comes the keg!" Leon shouted piss drunk from the back of the room. Carlos was also wasted. Adam was pretty much in his own world with the woman he was with. You could see the stupefied look in his eye. Chris was shaken from his daze as Alejandro fell out of his chair with the girls in his lap. He started laughing insane on the floor like it was the funniest thing in the world. Chris smiled. The night was far from over.  
  
Aftermath of the Ladies Party  
  
Juliana had somehow made it upstairs and back into her bed. Jill was asleep on the couch with a very cocky smile on her face. She had been impressed with what she had seen earlier that night. Claire was on the floor with the tie of the man who had come to visit them earlier clutched tightly in her hand. Sherry was laid out in her favorite chair obviously very content. The living room wasn't a mess but it wasn't exactly clean either. All in all, all of the women had a very wild night.  
  
Rebecca woke up from her bed to the sound of Juliana crying from her crib. Her head hurt like hell from the daquaris that she had earlier. Her hair smelled like the whip cream she had used to spray over his chest and she along with the others scooped it up. She grinned at the thought as she picked Juliana and started to rock her to sleep.  
  
" Juliana, tomorrow's the day. Tomorrow me and your daddy are going to get married. Now come on and be quiet for mama so she can get some sleep. You don't want me to fall asleep in the church tomorrow right?" Juliana just stared back but she had stopped crying.  
  
" That a girl. Now go to sleep." Rebecca told her softly. With that Rebecca took a drink of the glass of water she was bought with her and closed her eyes. Tomorrow was her big day. In the morning she would have to make sure that Claire, Jill, Sherry, and even Juliana never spoke of tonight again.  
  
Aftermath of the Guys  
  
Chris took the keys out of Leon's pocket and unlocked the door as he, Carlos, and Adam pulled Leon and Alejandro's bodies through the door. Leon could barely walk and Alejandro had went bye bye a few hours ago. Leon groaned as he made his way slowly to his room.  
  
" Claire's gonna kill me when I show up with a major hangover tomorrow." Chris and Carlos just chuckled.  
  
" Night buddy." With that Leon threw an off hand bye and closed the door.  
  
" I'm beat too. You guys are insane. But I'm glad you are. Don't tell Sherry okay?" Adam pleaded as he found a spot on floor. He was too tired to make it to the couch. Carlos nodded.  
  
' We won't if you don't" Adam nodded also. Chris grabbed the lazy boy as Carlos grabbed the couch.  
  
" Aw man we are so dead tomorrow." Carlos said in the dark as everyone tried to go to sleep. Chris sighed in the dark.  
  
" Shut up and go to sleep lover boy. You can be dead tomorrow. Tonight just sleep." Adam laughed at Chris' cutting remark. Carlos smirked.  
  
" You're real funny Redfield. You're lucky I getting married tomorrow or I'd kick your ass." Chris laughed dryly.  
  
" Goodnight." Carlos and Adam replied likewise.  
  
One by one the guys between to fall asleep leaving the house silent for the exception of the heat unit. Leon was dreaming of the giant keg of beer with Claire in a sexy elf suit pouring the beer for him. Adam had no dreams. He was out of it. So was Alejandro. Chris dreamt of him and Jill going off to Australia and Carlos dreamt of how beautiful Rebecca would look at the altar. He couldn't wait. Tomorrow would be the day of his life. And after finally experiencing bachelorhood for the last time Carlos smiled. He was ready.  
  
Author's Note: Hey, today's my birthday people. I'm the big 18. Whooo! Tek, this chapter was a bitch to put out but I did it. I think it could have been better but I think it came out well. It's definitely the longest I've ever writtern. So to everyone read, enjoy, and review. The next chapter is the last. Thanks to those who stuck with me to the end. I appreciate it. Until next time. 


	23. Life Has Gotten Better

Miracles Do Happen  
  
Author's Note: This is it people. The End. I'm going to save the speeches til the end but trust me. I wouldn't and couldn't have done this without you guys. This chapter is dedicated to Tek and Diddly Day. My two biggest inspirations. Lol. Tek, you have my sympathies and I'm gonna keep my promise. So here goes the final update to Miracles Do Happen.  
  
Chapter 23- Life Has Gotten Better  
  
" Chris, can't you move any faster! I mean, we gotta be there like right now." Carlos told him irritation pretty evident in his voice. He had been complaining since 7 that morning when they woke up. Leon just groaned while Chris tightened the grip on the steering wheel. Carlos continued to complain.  
  
" My God Carlos shut up. You're gonna make it." Leon sighed equally pissed. Carlos gave him a look of irritaion. Aledjandro and Adam just snickered in the back of the car.  
  
" You're just pissed because Claire's gonna make you sleep on the couch. Stop acting like a pushover." At that Leon leaned over and attempted to strangle him.  
  
" Why you little.."  
  
Chris who was already ranking high on the pisstivity meter was now at boiling point. First of all, he wasn't a morning person. Second, he was stressed and tired of Carlos' and Leon's nonsense. Finally he just wanted to take get the tickets, get Jill and get the hell out of here. All thoughts were thrown aside when Carlos and Leon hit the back of Chris' seat. At that moment they both became motionless. Chris chuckled humorlessly.  
  
" Leon. Carlos. I will not take this situation any further. But it would be best if you two stayed quiet and still the rest of the ride okay?' His tone was deathly calm. Leon and Carlos nodded.  
  
Meanwhile at the church  
  
Sherry and Claire were waiting outside for Barry and his family so he could be ready to escort Rebecca down the isle. It was getting closer and closer to 2:00 and Claire was getting anxious.  
  
" Claire, is that them?" Sherry asked as a Black Surburban parked in front of them. Claire covered her eyes from the afternoon sun and looked to see the familiar faces of Barry and his wife, Kathy.  
  
" Barry! Boy, am I glad to see you. Hello Kathy." Claire told him sincerely as she and Sherry went to greet them. Barry just smiled and hugged the both of them.  
  
" So am I Claire. Now where exactly is everybody." He asked as they proceeded into the church hall. Claire sighed.  
  
" Well, for starters, the guys aren't here yet. Jill's having another one of her moods trying to keep this thing in order, and Carlos' mom is comforting Rebecca who seems ready to have a nervous breakdown." Kathy chuckled silently.  
  
" She's having second thoughts huh? It happens to all of us" She said as she rolled her eyes at Barry. He stopped and looked at her with a questioning expression. It was a bit humorous if not weird to see from him. Kathy stopped and looked at him.  
  
" How could you have second thoughts about marrying me?" He asked with a grin. Sherry smirked and Claire tried to stifle a laugh. Kathy simply told him.  
  
" I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend the rest of my days with a big oaf like you." Barry faked a hurt expression.  
  
" Do you women always have to be this blunt?" Barry questioned.  
  
" Yes." Claire, Sherry, and Kathy replied simultaneously as if there was no room for arguments. Barry just grunted and continued to look around for Rebecca.  
  
One Hour until...  
  
Carlos jumped out of the car and hauled tail into the church fearing he may have missed something. Besides he needed to talk to his mom. Adam got out after him and the others followed. Adam straightened his self out before turning to Leon.  
  
" Um, what do we do now? The guest are starting to arrive." Leon looked to see cars beginning to fill the empty street curb.  
  
" Well, being as I don't have a clue, I suggest we find the girls. They know more about this stuff than we do. What do you think Chris?' Chris?" There was no reply. Leon, Adam, and Alejandro looked to see Chris walking into the church. Alejandro shrugged.  
  
" Or we could just follow him." With that the three confused men walked inside with the growing crowd.  
  
Once inside, Leon automatically spotted Chris next to the ladies. He was helping Jill out with some kind of errand. Adam saw Sherry and smiled to himself as he proceeded to see what she was up too. Alejandro started to wander around the church like he always does. Wander.  
  
" Whatcha up to there?" Leon heard a voice say from behind. He turned to see Claire's beautiful face smiling back at him. She had her hair done in her infamous ponytail but there was something about it. Something that made her look different. She looked even more stunning than usual. Her bridesmaid dress also attributed to this. Rebecca had made a fine choice by going red. Leon felt his mouth drop and felt the breath leave his body.  
  
" My God Claire. You look gorgeous." Leon barely got the words out. Claire blushed something similar to the shade of dark red on her dress.  
  
" Thank you Leon. Come on and help me with seat these guest. And you look very handsome by the way. But next time let's leave the crazy hairstyles up to me." She joked as she took his hand and led him to the front door.  
  
" Jill." Chris called as she continued to straighten herself up in the mirror. Her hair had gotten wet in some way she didn't even know and she was trying to fix it. Chris called her name out again.  
  
" Jilly." At that Jill turned to him and sighed to him stress heavy in her voice.  
  
" What Chris? I want Becca's big day to go by without any events like ours." Chris chuckled. At their wedding, as Jill walked down the isle, the material of her dress continued to become undone as she walked. Soon, Jill was standing at the altar at what looked like a wedding skirt. Jill was so embarrassed but Sherry said that it had been very stylish. And Jill knew for a fact that Sherry had excellent fashion sense. Chris' laughter brought her thoughts back the present.  
  
" What?" She asked having a pretty good idea all ready.  
  
" You looked so sexy in that wedding dress." Jill smirked at his mischevious smile.  
  
" You would think something like that was sexy wouldn't you." Jill spat jokingly. Chris just walked behind her and placed his hands on her hips from behind. He let his hands reach lower and lower until they found her hand. Jill looked at the mirror with the two of them. She smiled.  
  
" Chris, are you becoming a nympho or something cause everything you do is suggestive in some way." Chris kissed her earlobe.  
  
" If I am, the only person I want to be with is you." At that Jill shuddered in delight but the sounds of the people outside calmed her down.  
  
" Come on, this is Carlos and Becca's day. We'll fulfill ours later." Chris nodded and followed Jill out of the prep room.  
  
" Mama, I am so scared but I'm so happy at the same time." Rebecca said as she let Juliana brush her hair like a little child. Baby Juliana was in Rebecca's arms.  
  
" Don't worry child. My Carlos is a good boy. A little different from most but still a good boy." Juliana added with a chuckle. Rebecca smiled.  
  
" I know. I'm ready. I'm so ready to join your family." As Juliana attempted to reply there was a knock at the door. Juliana walked up to get it.  
  
" Who is it?"  
  
" Carlos. Mama can I speak with you for a minute?" Juliana opened the door slightly.  
  
" What is it that you have to say? You know it's bad luck to see the bride before." Carlos nodded.  
  
" Mama, I wanted your best wishes for this. I know we all ready have them but I wanted to make sure that this was all okay with you." Juliana smiled.  
  
" Miho, you know I want you to be happy and trust me Rebecca makes you happy and you make her happy. This is all you need. Now get!" With that Juliana shooed him away and closed the door. Carlos smiled to himself.  
  
" That's my mama."  
  
Showtime  
  
All of the gang except for Juliana was on stage waiting for the ceremony to begin. Carlos was obvious nervous fidgeting around and such. The minister put a hand on his should and told him to calm down and laughed. Leon and Claire passed knowing glances at each other and Chris and Jill smiled at the sight before them. And due to circumstances at the last minute, of all people, Alejandro was playing the processional.  
  
As the music began, the sanctuary became quite. Sherry and Adam's playful banter ceased and baby Juliana let out a smile cry as Rebecca began to walk down the isle with his arm around Rebeccas.  
  
So many things were going through her head right now. What would have happened if she didn't walk in on him that day. Would she be here right now. And if wasn't for some unexpected events in the Bahamas, her daughter wouldn't be right her right now. She probably wouldn't have met Carlos' family until later and she definitely wouldn't be feeling as happy as she was at this moment.  
  
As she walked to the altar and turned to face Carlos all of her doubts melted away. Yes, this was the man she was destined to be with. Who else would make her feel this special. Make her feel so calm. Who else would have accepted her for who she was. Carlos just grinned. Yet Rebecca know by this one act that he was letting her know he was hers and she was his.  
  
............  
  
" And now you may kiss the bride."  
  
With that said, Carlos pulled up the veil and kissed Rebecca long and good. The feeling was quite mutual and no fighting was involved. Applauds echoed throughout the hall and Alejandro began to play the recessional music piece. Rebecca and Carlos turned to Chris and Jill and Barry and Kathy before walking back down the aisle.  
  
" Now that was definitely something worth traveling for." Adam said as he turned to Sherry who was crying tears of joy. She laughed and latched on to him causing him to fall over. Claire looked over and saw the situation. She smirked. Leon too noticed and grinned.  
  
" Adam's gonna score." Sherry's eyes popped out similar to a cartoon character.  
  
' Leon!"  
  
2 Hours Later. Reception  
  
" Hey, I have an annoucement to make." Carlos said signaling quiet." At that everyone became quiet.  
  
" Me and Becca wanna thank all of you for coming. We can't begin to tell you how much this means to us. But I'm afraid that we're going to be leaving now. We have a plane to catch. Yes, if you must know we're going back to the islands. Hehe, before we leave we just wanna give a special thanks to this people right here. We love you guys." Everyone applauded and sent their congrats to the former Umbrella renegades.  
  
As Carlos stepped down, he went to his mom and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
" Are you sure you don't mind watching Juliana? I'm sure Leon and Claire would watch her." Juliana scoffed.  
  
" Nonsense. She is my granddaughter. Go ahead and have fun. I'll be here when you get back." With that she pushed Carlos and Rebecca outside the doors and escorted them on their way.  
  
After all the clean up  
  
" Hey me and Sherry are going with Barry. He's going to drop us of to the movies. Later." Adam called as he and Sherry got in the car with Barry. Barry beeped the horn as he waved and drove off. The other's waved back at him. Both Juliana's were sleeping and waiting to leave.  
  
" Oh, I'm so happy for those two." Jill sighed as she and Chris stood outside the church doors. Chris nodded.  
  
" Me too. I wish we would go on another vacation." Chris smiled broadly as she said this.  
  
" You know. We've never been down under before." Chris said as he showed her the pair of tickets in his hand. Jill gasped and looked at them before looking back at him and grinning. She kissed him all over the face. A peck here a peck there.  
  
" Oh, Chris. I love you I love you I love you." She said really fast as she kissed him gleefully. Chris chuckled.  
  
" I know. I know."  
  
" Know What?" Claire and Leon said at the same time with their eyes suggesting something else. Chris rolled his eyes.  
  
" That you two have got to be the nosiest pair I have ever seen. Haven't you got anything else to do?" Leon thought for a moment. Claire finished.  
  
" Hell no." Chris and Jill smirked.  
  
" Come on, let's get Juliana. I'm beat and ready to go. And I'm only telling you guys once. If I catch any undergarments in the backseat I'll kill you both." Chris warned. Jill just laughed as she went inside. Claire and Leon looked at each other and ran to the car. Chris could see the two of them jump in and start making out in the back seat. He slapped his forehead.  
  
" You ready?" Jill asked as she and Juliana(both of them) and Alejandro followed her outsided. Chris walked up to her and kissed her taking in all of her.  
  
" Been ready. From here my life can only get better."  
  
Author's Note: And it ends. I'm done. Finished. It's over. First things first, I gotta thank each and every one of you for reading and supporting this story. Even the ones who hated it. Atleast you attempted to read it. Lol. I really hope that I ended this to your liking as I don't like to revise. Hell I don't revise. But I must say you all make this worth while. Seriously. So from all my reviewers, from the first to the last and everyone else. Thank you thank you for giving all my writing a chance. Tek, I did it. Are you happy now? Lol. Most likely I won't be continuing this but I do have a new story in the works. I'll start on it soon. Okay, I talk too much. Leave a review and all that good stuff cause I sure wanna read them. Preferably positive ones. Thanks again. Until Next Time. Hell Yeah! 


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